


Lost Boys

by VertigoReader101



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Universe, Childhood Friends, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith's journey of getting adopted, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Shiro's parents are the best, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, They live in Arizona, Voltron is still a thing that happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25576432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VertigoReader101/pseuds/VertigoReader101
Summary: What if Keith and Lance were best friends before Voltron?“To rejection.” The boy said.“To love.” Keith replied, then they tapped the chocolate together before popping them into their mouths.It was sickeningly sweet, enough to feel the sugar grains and it slightly burned his throat because of how cheap it was. Though at the same time, it was perfect. Maybe it was because of the company.
Relationships: Keith/Lance, Klance - Relationship
Comments: 34
Kudos: 137





	1. Why is this boy talking to me? -Keith

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Lance!
> 
> This story has been 3 years in the making with a combination of procrastination and absolutely no desire to finish it. Lately, I have gotten a surge of inspiration and have been working on it almost every day. I have poured my soul into the story and I have really fallen in love with it. I kinda projected myself onto the characters, especially Lance lol, so this has been a nice outlet.  
> I have already finished this, only gotta write the epilogue, so you don't have to worry about me bailing on you.  
> Anyways, please enjoy and also know that the POV's changes back and forth!

**July 20, 2095**

“Cowabunga!” Lance roared into the sky.

There was an exciting rush as he let gravity pull him down and plunged into the river that was a cold hug that sent pleasant needles through his skin. The water felt like calming silk and Lance welcomed it as he slowly floated back to the surface. He shook his head to spray off the water on his face and smiled up to the cliff where he jumped off. 

His family had all gone on a small vacation to the river to swim and canoe, a tradition they did every summer. The river was not far at all from their house, only a twenty minute drive, but it would always excite the siblings since their parents were too busy for fun get-aways. 

This was the first year that his mama would let him jump off the cliff like his older siblings were allowed to do once they turned eleven. Now that he was old enough, Lance was able to jump off the cliff as much as he wanted despite mama’s cautious glares. 

Lance sent a gleaming smile up to the cliff where his brother, Luis, ran to jump off the cliff. Lance turned his head as his brother splashed into the water right next to him. Once Luis surfaced he teasingly messed a hand through Lance’s soaked hair. Lance laughed and began to race his brother to the shore so they could jump off the cliff again. 

Lance jumped off the cliff a total of eight times before his mama yelled at him to find something else to do that wouldn’t lead him to getting hurt. Reluntically, he grabbed a beach ball then caught his mama’s eyes, slowly and rather exaggeratingly, he stepped to the shore and cautiously walked into the river. He did all of this with a bored face and watched as his mama’s expression turned unimpressed. 

Someone started laughing as they approached Lance. He turned to see Veronica with her long and tangled brown hair, the water dragging behind her as she walked forward.

“Come on, drama queen.” She took the ball from his hands. “Let’s go crush Luis and Marco in a game of ball, shall we?”

Lance nodded enthusiastically and swam to where his brothers were waiting. “Let’s crush them!” Lance yelled as Veronica followed him.

It was five minutes into their game when Marco hit the ball with too much force and the ball went flying into the brush. The siblings all watched the ball with disappear and in stunned silence until everyone but Lance went:

“Nose goes!”

“What?!” Lance exclaimed with wide eyes as he turned to his siblings all kneeling in the water with a finger to their noses.

“Sorry little bro.” Luis said, clearly looking not sorry at all. “If you die we’ll make sure to eat the rest of your candy stash.”

“Don’t eat my candy!” Lance yelled, already making his way to the shore.

Before going into the brush, he sent a quick glance to his parents to make sure they weren’t watching. When the coast was clear, he slipped into the green thicket to find the beach ball.

At the other end of the brush there was a dirt road that stretched far and rolled down, a few buildings scattered on either side of it. He watched as the bright, rainbow beach ball rolled down the road and Lance gasped as it headed further away. 

He started running as fast as his little legs could carry him and for once he was thankful for Luis making him play soccer with him. He was also thankful that the road was deserted of cars as he sprinted down the middle of it, stray rocks digging into his bare feet.

Lance watched the ball, eyes focused as it rolled away, further and further, now even faster as the road got more steep. Then suddenly it stopped moving. Lance slowed into a jog and looked up to see a boy, foot on top of the beach ball and gaze on the rainbow object.

Faltering for a second, Lance shook his head and moved towards the boy, he was about the same height and age as him Lance noticed once he stopped in front of the mysterious boy.

“Hi!” Lance smiled as the other boy lifted his head to Lance.

The boy’s gaze was emotionless and his stone coloured eyes looked dull as he met Lance’s shining ones. 

“That’s my ball.” Lance told the boy in a red tattered shirt. “Wanna pass it to me?” Lance held up his hands in preparation.

Mystery Boy looked down to the ball, then Lance, then the ball again. Instead of picking it up to pass it to the other boy, he lightly kicked it, the ball jumping as it collided with pebbles.

Lance stopped it with his foot and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Quickly dismissing the weird exchange, Lance picked up the ball and rested it against his hip.

“I’m Lance, nice to meet you!” He declared with a beaming smile.

The boy stared at him for a moment as if analyzing Lance then gave him a sharp nod. Not used to people who don’t immediately talk to him, Lance suddenly felt awkward as the short haired boy continued to stare at Lance as if waiting for him to say something.

He could see that the boy was anxious to walk away when he started to tap his foot. Lance took a step forward but stopped once the boy immediately tensed up, foot stopping still.

“Do you want to swim with me? My family is having a picnic at the river. It’s super fun!”

Red winced as Lance shouted then his once neutral expression turned into a frown.

“No.” Red said.

Lance blinked in surprise, his smile quickly twitched into a frown then rose back up again.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to swim. My mama brought her famous arroz con leche and -”

“I don’t want to go with you.” The boy interrupted, crossing his arms and face set in a hard glare.

Lance paused to examine Red’s defensive posture, looking agitated now as his foot tapped on the ground in a fast rhythm. His shoulders were now hunched and his fingers were gripping into his arms and waited as Lance observed him.

“Oh...okay.” Lance then smiled but less bright. “Maybe next time?”

The boy scoffed. “I’m a stranger. Why are you talking to me?”

“Why are you talking to me?” Lance countered.

“I wasn’t talking until now, idiot.” Red rolled his dark eyes.

“Hey! That’s a bad word!” Lance gasped, free hand covering his mouth in shock. “My mama always yells at Marco for swearing.”

“Well I don’t have to worry about that. Bye.” Then he pivoted on his heel and started to walk away at a fast pace.

“Wait!” Lance called out, taking a step forward. “What’s your name?!”

But he didn’t respond and instead started to walk even faster.

”Hey!” A voice yelled out, startling Lance as he turned to see a woman run out of a beige building that he stood in front of. “Get back here young man!”

Lance, afraid, turned to Red who was now sprinting down the road. He was fast, much faster than Lance. The woman passed Lance, not giving him a second glance and chased after the boy. 

“Get back here boy or else I’m calling foster care!” 

Red then faltered and began to slow down to an eventual stop, back still facing the woman.

“That’s what I thought.” Lance heard the woman mutter. She was an older lady, face wrinkled and her fashion sense very outdated with a brown monochrome outfit.

The boy turned around and began to walk towards the building, head low as he glared at the ground. Lance watched this all happen with a stiff body and heart racing fast. 

“Don’t you dare think of running away again. Four times is enough and it won’t happen once more.” Her eyes were focused on Red the whole time and continued to lecture him as he trudged forward. 

Suddenly, the door slammed open to the same building and another woman came running down the lot. She was younger than the other woman and looked very pretty in her flowery dress. 

“Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!” She exclaimed once she saw Red. 

“This boy needs to learn some respect.” Spat the older woman.

“Mrs. Wender, he’s just a kid, he doesn’t know better.” The younger woman defended.

“I think he knows more than he lets on, Mrs. Davis.” Mrs. Wender scolded, earning a glare from the raven haired boy. 

“I was gonna come back.” Red muttered.

“Come here, honey.” Mrs. Davis cooed, interrupting Mr. Wender from saying any more.

Red didn’t even look at her as he brushed past and then he glanced over to meet Lance’s eyes. His eyes looked like molten rock, burning with a flame that was waiting to be spread out of control. Then they were gone and Lance was left staring as the boy and two women retreated into the beige building.

* * *

**August, 2095**

His eyes were a tunnel of dark brown yet they were so soft as he gazed down at Keith which made him uneasy. No sign of pity grazed his sharp features, black hair cut short but a small tuft that hung over his forehead. The boy’s parents stood behind him, talking to Mrs. Davis with friendly smiles.

Keith curled up into himself, unsettled from how soft the older boy was looking at him.

“Stop staring.” Keith demanded.

Instead of flinching like most people do when Keith snaps at them, the boy’s smile widened.

“Then how about you stop frowning?” The boy said.

Keith rolled his eyes. 

“Doesn’t your family want to look at the cute babies instead of a stupid eleven year old?”

“Technically, babies are more stupid than eleven year olds.” The boy countered.

“Well they must be smarter than whatever age you are.”

“Why do you say that?” The boy asked, a smile still surprisingly on his face.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly even more annoyed than before. “Because if you were smart you wouldn’t be talking to me.”

The boy chuckled. “I guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong.”

“Pfft, that’s impossible.”

A smirk crept on the boy’s face.

“Watch me, Keith. Watch me.”

* * *

**September 3, 2095**

The next time Lance saw Red was when he snuck out of the house to look for an adventure. It was the last day of summer break and he wasn’t going to stay home and listen to abuela talk about flowers all day. After an hour of wandering around, he found himself standing in front of the familiar beige building. He stood there for three minutes before he got bored of waiting, deciding to pace back and forth and began counting all the rocks on the ground as he waited for something to happen. 

Lance asked his mama about the strange building, which forced him to tell her about Marco throwing the ball super far. His siblings weren’t happy when mama started scolding them. Mama then told him it was the local orphanage meant for kids who don’t have families. Lance didn’t know kids couldn’t have families, it was such a strange fact to know that Red didn’t have anyone to give him kisses and hugs like his family.

Now, in front of the orphanage, he read the sign that looked worn down and old. Pluto Orphanage. The name made him smile since pluto was his favourite dwarf planet.

He kept glancing over to the doors, waiting for them to open to reveal the raven haired boy. He might not have been too nice, but Lance was optimistic that they could become friends. How he was going to talk to the boy again? He didn’t know. But he’ll find a way.

Ten minutes later, Lance stood up from his spot on the ground where he was picking at the grass and let out a defeated sigh. Lance turned around and took one step before the doors creaked open. Lance whipped around to see none other than Red, carefully closing the metal doors behind him. Then the boy tiptoed down the lot, occasionally looking behind him as if to check if anyone has followed him.

Once Red made it to the road, it was time for Lance to strike.

“Hey!” Red flinched and quickly turned to Lance. “Remember me?!” Lance exclaimed, stopping right in front of the other boy. 

Red visibly relaxed, hands coming up to his short hair to grip the black locks, but his posture was still not enough to seem comfortable.

“What are you doing here?” Red demanded.

“To play with you, duh.” Lance smiled despite Red’s immediate disproved scoff. 

“I thought we could play hide and seek or tag or -”

“I don’t want to play with you.” Red interrupted.

Lance furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Why not?”

“No one likes playing with me. I’m weird.” Red stated it like he’s been told that his whole life.

Lance tilted his head from further confusion.

“What? I think ‘weird’ is good.” The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and began walking down the road. “Hey Red, aren’t you not allowed to run away?” Lance asked, recalling from the last time he saw him. 

“Yup.” He responded with.

Lance jogged up to him to catch up. “Then why are you running away?”

“I’m not running away.” 

“You seem like you are running away.”

“I’m not running.” Red scolded. “I’m walking.”

Lance was so surprised that he actually snorted. “You’re funny, Red.”

“Red?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Lance smiled. “Yup, that’s my nickname for you!” When Red continued to look at him, Lance elaborated. “Cause you always wear red.” Lance gestured to the red shirt he was wearing, the same one with the hole on the bottom.

Red looked down to his shirt as if to confirm that, yes, he was wearing red. 

“I like this shirt.” He sounded offended and quite defensive about his shirt.

Lance held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say it was bad. I like that shirt too. Red is an awesome colour, but not as awesome as blue!” he raised a hand to gesture to his blue shirt that he was wearing. It was his favourite one because it had a cool shark head in the middle.

“Are you always this loud?” Red complained.

“Are you always frowning?”

Red flinched at his words, then he was walking faster as if he wanted to lose Lance. 

“Hey, stop walking so fast!” Lance whined as he ended up jogging to catch up.

“Then stop following me.” He grumbled.

Lance didn’t get it. At first Red seemed fine with talking to him and now he’s trying to get rid of him. Did he say something wrong?

“Hey, wait up! What if you get caught!”

“I won’t.”

“But what if you do?! What if playing with me makes you not get in trouble?! I have great puppy eyes you know!”

Red abruptly turned around, causing Lance to bump into him. 

“Leave me alone!” Red yelled, black eyes burning into Lance and lighting him on fire.

Lance shrunk in on himself and backed away frowning. He could feel his nose stinging so he quietly sniffed back any tears. 

“Sorry.” Lance whispered.

He then slowly turned around and began his way towards home, crossing his arms and hanging his head low. Don’t cry, don’t cry. He’s too old to cry.

“Wait!”

Lance stopped.

“Fine!” He heard Red shout. Lance turned around with wide eyes. “But only for an hour!”

Lance beamed and began running to Red. “Deal!” He exclaimed, stopping right in front of the other boy. “But tell me your name first.”

Red rolled his eyes, a thing that he did a lot apparently.

“Keith.”

Lance’s smile widened.

“Nice to become friends with you, Keith!”

“We’re not friends.” Red, no, Keith, complained.

“Not yet we aren’t.” Lance winked.

Keith gave out a tired sigh and turned around to continue walking down the empty road.

Lance would’ve bet his best pokemon cards that he saw a small wisp of a smile on Keith’s face.

* * *

**September 28, 2095**

“Sup, loser. Looks like you’re eating by yourself again.”

Keith slowly looked up, the familiar voice already sending him into a sprout of irritation. The boy towered over him, his goon standing right beside him as if that would help the cause. The truth was, Keith could easily take them down, something that Keith had proven multiple times before and they had their bruises to prove it. So instead of attacking one on one anymore, they travelled in groups.

Not like that was going to stop Keith. 

“Wha you wan, Ian?” Keith said around a mouth full of sandwich.

Ian frowned and nudged his goon with his shoulder. “Look at him, Julian, utterly disgraceful.”

“Did you learn that word in one of your nursery rhymes?” Keith retorted before taking another bite out of his sandwich.

Ian’s eyes twitched. “Enough of your sass, Kogane. At least we have parents visiting us, unlike you.” His grin was like the cheshire, crooked teeth on his narrow face. Julian forced a laugh, his round figure bobbing as he did so.

“And yet you two are still here.” Keith replied bluntly, earning a growl from Ian. “Remind me why you are talking to me?”

“I swear, Kogane-”

“Swear and you’ll get a lecture from Mrs. Wender.” A voice chimed in. It was Mrs. Davis, standing tall with authority, blonde hair pulled tight in a ponytail. “Please go back to lunch Ian and Julian, your classes will be starting soon.”

Ian and Julian sent one more glare Keith’s way before leaving the lunch room all together. Keith went back to eating his sandwich, paying no attention to the teacher lingering beside him. 

“You can always-”

“Eat in the lounge.” Keith finished for her, having heard the same thing almost every day. “I know.”

“Then why don’t you? They won’t bother you.” Mrs. Davis’ voice was filled with worry, but Keith ignored the meaning behind it.

“That’s not true. It’ll make things worse. Why should I be forced to do something just because of two bullies?”

He was met with silence, so he continued to eat, taking a sip from his juice. 

“You’re smarter than you let on.” Mrs. Davis finally said.

“Does that mean I’m usually dumb?” Keith countered.

“No.” She shook her head slowly, frown increasing. “I just think you are hiding yourself from others.”

Keith turned fully towards the woman, eyes set and narrow. “And who am I, miss?”

She held his gaze with her brown eyes then lost it before locking their eyes again. “I don’t know. But hopefully one day I’ll meet him.”

Then she sent him a small smile before turning and leaving the lunch room, yellow dress flowing as she walked. The light closing of the door sounded like a final boom in her wake.

* * *

**October 19, 2095**

“In order to fall asleep, you have to pretend to be asleep.”

“Can you not talk for ten seconds?”

“It’s kinda like acting.” Lance went on. “To have to play the part of someone sleeping, though if you are an actual actor, you’re not allowed to fall asleep. I’d be an impeccable actor.”

“Like, seriously. Is ten seconds too much to ask for?”

“My mom taught me that word.” Lance rolled to his side to face Keith, who kept his gaze still on the clouded sky.

“What word? Annoying? She sure did a good job at that.”

“No - impeccable. It means faultless.”

“I know what it means.” Keith said up to the sky, eyes trailing a moving cloud. “I actually read books you know.”

Lance huffed and nudged Keith’s shoulder with his own. “I read.” He defended himself.

“You read Harry Potter. I actually read more advanced books.’’

“Is your favourite word ‘actually’?” Lance grumbled. “For someone who reads a lot, you don’t have a large vocabulary.”

Keith’s eyes furrowed, glaring at the clouds as if they were the ones making fun of him. His hands took fistfulls of dead leaves and clenched them making them crunch satisfyingly. Lance watched as his face contoured into different flickering emotions and waited. 

Lance had learned over the few weeks of hanging out with Keith, that it took some time for him to respond. He would spend a few seconds and sometimes minutes to think as if he was a lagging computer. Everytime, Lance would watch intently as Keith furrowed his brows and scrunched up his nose in concentration. Being the kind person that he was, Lance said nothing when Keith did this - letting Keith combine his thoughts without being disturbed. 

Keith hated that he could read him so easily.

“What if I don’t want to use another word?” Keith finally said in a small but firm voice. “What if I don’t want to change and everything will be the same. Change is too difficult.” Keith turned his head to look at Lance, his eyes showing no sign of emotion. “Being the same is safe.”

Lance frowned and shook his head in disagreement. “That’s not true. If you wear the same costume every Halloween, what’s the fun in dressing up?”

“Well good thing I don’t celebrate Halloween.” Keith turned back to the sky, letting go of the now crushed leaves and settled his hands on his stomach.

Lance let out a sharp gasp and sat up immediately. Keith raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the other boy.

“Why don’t you celebrate Halloween?” Keith opened his mouth. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” He settled himself to fully face Keith, sitting criss-cross then adjusted his sweater. Keith sat up and mimicked his movements, though he moved slower than Lance.

“This year, you are going trick or treating with me.” Lance confirmed, ignoring Keith’s protests. “My siblings and I already picked out a theme.” Lance paused for dramatic effect and did jazz hands. “Power rangers.”

“Lance, I’m not trick or treating with you. I’ve gotten along fine without it.” Keith stood up, brushing the leaves and grass off his clothes.

Lance chased after him, almost falling as he skidded onto his feet. “But it’s gonna be so much fun! The only ranger left is pink ranger, but that’s fine, pink is just a softer red. I’m the blue ranger, obviously.” Lance smirked and tossed his imaginary hair over his shoulder.

“Will you stop talking about it if I say I’ll consider it?” Keith asked, glaring at the other boy.

Lance pretended to think for a moment and then smiled mischievously.. “Only if you race me to the park.”

Keith’s frown then turned to his signature smirk that always screamed ‘challenge’. “Deal.”

Then they zoomed off, racing through the field, fallen leaves springing up into the air as they ran down the trail, teasing each other along the way.

* * *

**October 22, 2095**

The clock read eleven forty-five the last time Keith checked. All night he had been checking, on and off, waiting for those numbers to tell him when the next day will arrive. Keith dreaded the twenty-third, it was always filled with fake smiles and forced parties. 

Every year, the orphanage would celebrate his birthday with loud voices and obnoxious singing and congratulations that lasts all day. The cake was always bought the day before and the main staff would give him small gifts that held no meaning. 

No gifts of inside jokes or homemade necklaces or anything with effort. It was always last minute gifts that were rushed and bought in the clearance section. One teacher gave him a pillow with multiple designs on it that sat on his bed. One caretaker gave him a mug with a race car on it, even though Keith had no interest toward race cars at all. Just like how he uses the notebook, the comb, soap, more toy cars and the other cliche stuff that boys get. He’s functional, and he wasn’t going to waste people’s money so he uses it all. 

When he lived with his dad, supplies were limited since they were so far from any stores. They rationed out the food and soap so there would be less gas used on trips to the store. Though Keith always loved going to the store, practically vibrating in the car as his dad drove off, windows drawn low. Each time, his dad let him get whatever he wanted.

Each time, Keith got a book. From novels to non-fiction, he fed himself with words that comforted him when his dad was away at work. He learned about how to build hover-mobiles, how to read the constellations and his favourite, how to fly a spaceship.

When he arrived at the orphanage, Mrs. Davis noticed all of the books he had collected over the nine years of his life, thus getting him books on each holiday. Her presents were his favourite, but he wasn’t willing to admit it.

Birthdays were always better with his dad. Keith still keeps all the most precious items in a box underneath his bed, filled with photographs of his dad, a few Doctor Seuss books his dad would always read to him, and the only physical thing that keeps his mother’s memory; her knife.

He looked over to the clock.

Twelve O’ three.

He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

* * *

**November 6, 2095**

They were skipping rocks, enjoying the cool shade that the trees provided. They were at the same lake Lance was at when he first met Keith and were keeping a tally of who could skip the stones the most.

“Thirteen to seventeen.” Lance said out loud then turned towards Keith who let a stone fly out of his hand. 

“Thirteen to eighteen.” Keith mumbled.

“I thought this was your first time skipping rocks.” Lance grumbled.

“And I thought you were a ‘natural’, guess you were wrong.” Keith retorted.

Lance glared at Keith who stared back with a smirk.

“I hate you.” Lance decided to say.

Keith’s mouth twitched into a frown and he instinctively took a step back and away from Lance. His hand took a fistfull of his black, short hair before letting it fall then crossed his arms. His hair looked weird short, like it was oddly scripted and unnatural. 

“I-I don’t understand.” Keith whispered, eyes hanging low. “Then why do you hang out with me?”

Lance spent some time watching Keith’s usual wall rise up into skyscrapers. His eyes shot up in realization that Keith took his words the wrong way. He shook his head wildly, making him slightly dizzy.

“No, Keith, I don’t actually hate you.” He took a step forward. “Friends tease and say bad stuff to each other all the time. That’s what my siblings do.”

Keith raised a brow skeptically. “Why? That’s mean.”

Lance smiled softly and took one of Keith’s hands away from his chest. “Friends do it to show their love. It’s normal, trust me. Friends never mean it, just like how I don’t hate you.” 

“So we’re...friends?” Keith looked like he just swallowed a piece of lemon when he said the word, face scrunching up and head tilted to the side.

“Well duh. We’ve been hanging out every week for like forever!” Lance exclaimed.

“Two months isn’t forever, Lance.” Keith chided but his expression didn’t change. 

“Good thing we’ll be together forever, right?” Lance beamed, taking Keith’s other hand.

Keith stared at him for a moment and Lance let him think, then Keith nodded.

“Yeah. Forever.”

* * *

**December 16, 2095**

“Hey kiddo, ready to go?” Mr. Shirogane’s smile was kind but Keith was ready to throw that smile away into the trash.

He had another nightmare that night and Keith was not in the mood to go anywhere. Especially with the Shirogane’s. When he found out the day before that the family were taking Keith out for some “bonding outings” he was not pleased. He had first refused, but Mrs. Davis was certain that it would be good for him. She also promised to get him another book if he went through with it. The whole situation was rather bittersweet if you asked him.

“Where are we going?” Keith stubbornly asked.

“That’s the surprise.” Takashi did jazz hands. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Keith rolled his eyes, hiking his bag straps on his shoulders. The bag only had three items, an emergency phone that Mrs. Davis gave him, some money and a water bottle. He walked right past the boy to see his parents waiting for them at the door. 

“Nice to see you again Keith.” Mrs. Shirogane smiled brightly. Her black hair was tied up in a pretty bun, her dark eyes were friendly and she radiated positivity. “Ready for a day of adventure?”

Keith only nodded, continuing his walk into the parking lot, not waiting for the family to catch up. He knew exactly what the car looked like from how many times they visited. It was obnoxiously white, always clean despite looking dated like it was from the 2070’s. 

He stood right in front of the door and robotically turned around, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. 

“Are you excited?” Mr. Shirogane asked. He was a tower compared to Keith with wide-set shoulders and square glasses framing his almond-shaped eyes.

“Sure.” Keith answered, watching as the man’s smile falters. 

The road trip was a thirty minute drive of awkward conversation starters. Keith could feel Takashi’s eyes on him whenever he would sneak a glance at him, same with his mother whenever she’d look into the mirror. 

Eventually, they pulled up into a parking lot which had Christmas decorations lining the light poles, colourful lights flashing even though it was noon. Keith got out of the car first, taking a deep breath of the fresh air which was adorned with the smell of pine and cinnamon. The air was hot because that’s what you get when you live in Arizona.

The boy followed the family down the filled parking lot and entered what seemed like an outdoor market. Booths were lined in rows with their vendors selling trinkets and sweets, the sound of annoying Christmas songs filling the air.

“What is this?” Keith asked while watching a kid fall and cry over his broken candy cane. 

“It’s a Christmas market!” Mrs. Shirogane answered. “They have a bunch of food and toys and we thought you might really like it.”

Keith nodded. “Okay.” The family for some reason beamed with happiness at Keith’s reaction. Keith never thought he’d want to go back to the orphanage so much as that moment. He began walking towards what could be the most annoying experience of his life.

It’s been two hours of shopping and eating different kinds of sweets. Keith’s stomach was filled with cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate which wasn’t a good idea to have in this weather but he didn’t regret it. Keith initially didn’t want to get anything but food, but the Shirogane’s insisted for him to get something that he couldn’t consume. 

“How about this?” Mrs. Shirogane asked while holding up a calendar with cats in the snow. 

Keith frowned and shook his head, looking back down at the ornament in his hand. It was a simple white dove and Keith was careful when he put it back on the rack. 

“Ooh! How about this?” 

Keith turned back around to see Takashi holding a white sweater that said “Dabbin’ through the snow” and Santa Claus dabbing right beneath the red text. Keith met the boy’s eyes with a hard glare. Takashi chuckled, obviously understanding Keith’s disapproval and put the sweater away.

Keith turned back to the rack of ornaments, turning the display around so it could show more. His eyes ranked from one to another, fingers grazing the bumps and smoothness of the ornaments. He stopped at one that was a great white shark wearing a Santa Claus hat that was the size of his palm. The string was golden, attached to the festive hat.

He pictured a blue-eyed boy smiling brightly with his one small tooth while wearing his favourite shirt with the shark design.

“I want this one.” He confirmed, taking the ornament in his hand. It was only a little smaller than his palm.

He could feel the family surround him, taking in the sight of the strange ornament. 

“A shark?” Mr. Shirogane asked. 

Keith nodded. 

The trio all gave each other looks before shrugging. 

“Weird shark ornament it is.” Takashi exclaimed.

Keith felt the corners of his lips slightly lift for the first time that day.

They had just walked out of a cafe, gingerbread feeling heavy in his stomach along with the second hot chocolate he had that day and he felt ready to go home. 

The day started off awkward and weird, but it slowly became actually fun and Keith slowly became comfortable with the trio. They had joked around and Keith found himself smiling more than he thought he ever could in that situation. The whole experience was oddly comforting but a little scary as well.

“So, Keith, have any plans for Christmas?” Mr. Shirogane asked.

Keith hesitated. “Why?”

They stopped in front of the fountain that held no water but many blinking lights. 

Mrs. Shirogane took hold of his hand. “Well, we were thinking it would be nice for you to stay with us for Christmas!” Keith’s heart stopped. “You can come over on Christmas eve and sleep over. You’ll be gone by noon, we promise.”

“That is, if you want to.” Takashi put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were brown in the natural light instead of the black it casts when in darkness.

Did he want to? Did Keith really want to spend Christmas with a family that wasn’t his? A family that has been trying to bond with him so that maybe one day they’ll adopt him. Heck, did he even want to be adopted?

Did Keith want to give the family any more reason to adopt him? If he kept agreeing to hang out with them, that’ll either give more reason to adopt him or the opposite. Though, if he just stopped hanging out with them, then there won’t be a boy to miss or want. If he keeps this up, they’ll invite him to other holidays as well. He wasn’t sure if he wanted that or not.

“I, uh, I can’t.” Keith said without thinking. “I’m busy that day.”

The family frowned. “Busy?” Mr. Shirogane asked in confusion. 

“Yeah, um, I’m celebrating Christmas with my friend.” Keith lied.

“You’ve got a friend?” Mrs. Shirogane asked with slight disappointment and slight excitement. The caretakers must have told them his lack of friendships. He didn’t know if he should feel anger or embarrassment.

“Yeah, his name is Lance and his family agreed for me to join them.” Keith didn’t meet their eyes, scared that they’ll see right through his lies.

“Even during Christmas eve?” Takashi asked.

Keith nodded. 

Mr. Shirogane hummed. “Okay, then. Guess we’ll have to hang out next time, yeah?”

Keith didn’t move, gaze focused on the colourful lights. 

“So, Keith, tell us more about this Lance.” Takashi shoved his shoulder.

Keith glared at the older boy. “There is nothing to talk about, Shiro.”

The boy raised a questioning brow at the name. “Shiro?”

Keith crossed his arms. “It’s easier to just call all of you Shiro.”

“Then how will we know who you’re talking to?” 

Keith sighed as he thought for a moment. “You’ll be Shiro number one, your mom will be number two and your dad will be number three.”

“Why am I last?”

Keith glared at the man. “Cause you ate the rest of my cookies.”

“Not my fault you were taking a long time to eat it.” Shiro number three teased. 

“Wait.” Shiro said. “Won’t saying our numbers take way longer than saying our actual names?”

“Too late. It’s been already decided.” Keith claimed, walking towards a random booth. He could hear the family laughing behind him.


	2. To Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “To rejection.” The boy said.
> 
> “To love.” Keith said, then they tapped the chocolate together before popping them into their mouths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing this, I realized I accidentally wrote Lance's POV twice in a row which means everything after that point where I messed up is a LIE!!! All 100+ pages of it!!!! How have I just noticed I messed up?! Life is now meaningless...
> 
>  **TRIGGER WARNING** Lance gets a small panic attack during January 15. It's nothing too bad but you can skip it and I'll summarize it in the end note

**December 24, 2095**

The house was loud with the combined smell of cinnamon and cumin, an ambiance of dimmed light and colourful strings of lights lining the home. The adults were conversing in the kitchen with a mix of English and Spanish, and Lance’s siblings and two cousins were in the living room watching Home Alone. 

Lance was sitting next to Keith on the couch who looked immersed in the film with a blanket wrapped around him like a burrito and only his face was sticking out. His cheeks were slightly flushed from when Lance’s tia Maria gave him a long sip of her wine a few minutes ago. Keith, of course, made a disgusted face from the yucky taste of the wine, to which Lance patted his arm in understanding of the torture of alcohol.

While meeting his family, Keith had been polite and quiet, saying ‘hello’ and ‘nice to meet you too’ like the good gentleman he was. During dinner, Keith was enjoying the food but kept to himself, only speaking when talked to. 

Lance tried to comfort him by holding his hand underneath the table, which seemed to let Keith relax a bit. He gave Lance a thankful smile and continued eating after a quick squeeze of their hands.

Lance was actually impressed that Keith hadn’t run away yet, especially after his family’s loud debate over technology during dessert. In fact, he thought for sure Keith would come up with an excuse to leave like food poisoning or a fake a heart attack, just to get away from the commotion.

Despite all the possible ways Keith might’ve felt overwhelmed, he was still there, watching the movie intently despite being very outdated from how old it was. He looked so at peace in his buzzing home and it made Lance happy.

Though, Keith always made Lance happy.

“We should prank the old people.” Came Luis’ voice. He was standing and looking down at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was fourteen, making him the oldest out of the bunch so they normally followed his every step.

“I’m in!” Cheered Marco, his unruly hair getting into his face.

Luis grinned. “Okay, but you have to be quiet.”

“What are we going to do?” Veronica asked with excitement, her round glasses taking up the majority of her face.

“I was thinking clear wrap and chicken feathers, like what Kevin did.” Luis said, pointing to the television screen.

Lance looked over to the television where one of the thieves chased Kevin, covered in chicken feathers.

“If we get grounded you’re letting me play your new game on the Xbox.” Lance warned and Luis hesitated for a moment before sighing.

“Fine, but only once.”

“Can Keith play with me?”

“Sure.”

“Yes!” He then grabbed Keith, pulling him from his spot on the couch which made him whine in protest. “Me, Leo, Milly and Keith are getting the feathers.”

Lance dragged his best friend to the backyard with his two cousins following. The sun was almost fully down and there was the faint sound of crickets chirping soundfully. They headed over to the chicken coop and Lance opened the gate to get into the enclosure.

“We should’ve brought a bag.” Said Keith, his blanket still wrapped tightly around his body.

Leo and Milly both nodded in agreement which made Lance glare at them. Dammit, why did Keith have to be so smart? 

“Why didn’t you just say so before we came all the way out here?” Lance crossed his arms with annoyance, the sound of clucking chickens in the background.

Keith shrugged. “Didn’t feel like talking.”

If only death glares could kill.

Leo and Milly, who were a few years younger, giggled at the exchange.

Lance looked down to the litter of loose feathers on the ground and furrowed his brows in concentration. He looked up to see Keith who was looking off into the distance where the sun was setting, still bundled in his blanket.

“Give me the blanket.”

“No.”

“We can carry the feathers in it.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yeah-uh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Um-” Milly interrupted. “We can just use our arms?” Leo nodded in agreement.

Lance huffed stubbornly after giving Keith the stink eye. “Fine.” Then began to bundle the feathers in his arms, many falling by the slightest movement. Each time one would fall, he would give a death glare to the blanket hog, who was having even more trouble than him because of the blanket being in the way.

This was going to take a while.

“What took you so long?” Luis complained when the four returned.

“Keith was being mean.” Lance replied.

“No I wasn’t. It’s all your fault.” Keith sneered, placing the blanket on the ground, revealing a pile of white chicken feathers being held in it. “I’ve lost my blanket because of you.”

Lance stuck his tongue and blew, causing Keith to flinch back from the spit attack.

Luis rolled his eyes but ignored the bickering duo and stood tall with his hands on his hips. “Okay, men. Let’s get started.”

“But I’m a girl.” Came Rachel.

Luis groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dios mio.”

Veronica sat up the fan and Marco and Luis taped the clear wrap on the entrance of the living room after coating one side with oil, all supplies they got while Lance and the others were on feather duty.

“Who should we do it to?” Veronica asked.

“Anyone but mamma and abuelita.” Marco instructed, causing everyone to shiver in fear of that happening, even Keith.

“How about papi?” Rachel suggested.

The others nodded in agreement. Lance’s papi was wearing contacts that night, which meant he was more blind than usual. Perfect for a prank like this. Luis gave Rachel and Marco the job to do the first throw of feathers and the others had fists full of feathers for a second attack.

Veronica cried out for papi’s “help”.

The man was seen approaching and Marco turned on the fan. Everything went perfectly, Lance’s papi getting tangled in the clear wrap and the feathers directly blew onto his oil covered body. The kids screamed with warrior cries as they pelted the man with even more feathers, leaving him dazed and confused.

The man blinked and looked down at what he had become and the other adults came in to see what the ruckus was about. Half of them looked shocked while the others tried to hold in their laughter.

He looked over at the children who were laughing loudly but looked seconds away from bolting at any sign of attack. So he attacked, embracing each child to get the oil and feathers all over them as pay back. Squeals of delight filled the house and some of the adults joined in by capturing the younglings for Lance’s papi to smother them.

Lance looked over to see Keith beaming with laughter as he wrapped himself in the blanket, as if that would help him hide from the threatening adults. Lance went over to hide with him and they both shook with laughter under the tent of fabric and squealed when it was ripped away from them and they were suddenly in the grip of an oil covered dad.

Christmas mornings were always Lance’s favourite part of the holiday. The thrill that overcomes him once he wakes up, the rustling of his siblings rushing out of their beds, the smell of coffee and pancakes, and of course, the presents.

Lance excitedly shook Keith awake where he was sleeping beside him. The boy groaned in protest, snuggling deeper into the covers to bury his face in their shared pillow.

“Red.” Lance whisper shouted. “Hey, Red. It’s Christmas!”

“It was Christmas yesterday.” Keith grumbled out, voice muffled by the pillow.

Lance laid on top of him resulting in the other boy to let out an ‘oof’, but didn’t struggle under Lance’s weight.

“Reeeeeed!”

“Whaaat?”

Lance poked at Keith’s cheek, making him sink further under the sheets to get away from prying fingers.

“It’s Christmas morning! We have to open presents!” Lance began patting at the spot where Keith’s head should be like a drum, which resulted in a reply of another groan.

“I don’t have presents. You go by yourself.”

Lance laid his cheek on Keith’s head. “Of course you have presents. Mama and papi and I went to the store to get presents for you.”

There was a pause and Keith began to lift his head, so Lance did as well. Dark navy eyes were staring up at him with confusion and he had a thin trail of dried saliva on the corner of his mouth.

“Why?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Santa gives presents to everyone, Keef. Even Marco doesn’t get coal.”

“Hey, dumb nuts!” Speaking of which. “Get up! Present time!”

Lance smiled wide and shook Keith some more due to his excitement. “Come on, Red! Let’s Go!” He bounced off the bed and dragged Keith out when he was moving too slow.

Lance raced down the stairs, dragging a disgruntled Keith, and passed by his papi who was taking his time walking down the stairs. His mama was found already in the kitchen, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes.

Everyone else from last night left to their homes at midnight and everyone was too tired to clean up so they left everything for the morning. Unwashed dishes stacked up high and even the table cloth was still not put away along with empty wine bottles. Oil and feathers still covered the floor of the living room and his mama made it clear of her distress when she stared helplessly at the mess from her spot in front of the brewing coffee.

Lance would’ve felt more bad if he didn’t know he and his siblings will be the ones to clean that up. 

“Hi mama!” She smiled at him and opened her arms to give him a hug. She also gave Keith a hug to which he reciprocated awkwardly.

“Buenos días.” Her accent was more thick because of her drowsiness and her smile showed large dimples and laughter lines. “Go sit, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Lance nodded and took Keith’s hand again before bounding into the living room where the rest of his siblings were sitting by the Christmas tree. He sat down at his usual spot, the right side of the massive tree, but Keith didn’t follow, instead he started to walk away, tugging their hands in the process.

“Where are you going?!” Lance asked, trying to mask the fear in his voice.

“I need to go to the bathroom, ‘cause somebody didn’t let me go.”

“Oh,” Lance calmed down, relief flooding his chest as he began to stand up. “I need to pee too.”

“Well we’re not going to pee together.”

“Oh,” Lance repeated and slowly sat back down. “I’ll wait.”

Keith raised a brow and looked at their still connected hands. Lance lurched his hand back quickly and mumbled an apology before Keith headed towards the bathroom. There was a huff of laughter from across him and Lance over to see Luis giving him a knowing look.

“What?”

Luis shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Mama! Luis is being confusing!” Lance called out.

“Let your papa handle it.” Was her reply.

“Papi! Luis is being confusing!”

“Let Veronica handle it.” Papi replied.

“Veronica!”

“I’d rather not.”

“Don’t worry about it, bro.” Luis smirked. “You’ll figure it out some day.”

Lance tilted his head in even more confusion. “I don’t get it.”

Keith then came back and settled down before Lance moved to the bathroom and when he came back and sat down, he linked hands with Keith. They didn’t notice the knowing looks Luis shared with his parents who caught sight of the action as well.

Opening presents had to be the most exciting thing during the holidays. It brought him joy watching his family open their presents and it’s definitely better when he’s the receiver. Lance’s first present was a lego kit of the ship in the new Star Wars film and Lance was already itching to open it. Maybe Keith will help him build it. His second gift was a book on all the stars in the galaxy, since he was so obsessed with space.

A small box messily wrapped with themed paper was then placed in front of a surprised Keith. Lance’s excitement doubled.

“But I didn’t get you anything.” Keith protested.

“That’s my gift!” Lance exclaimed with pride and squeezed his best friend’s hand. 

The announcement didn’t seem to help Keith and instead he just seemed very shocked.

“Why?”

Lance snorted. “Open it!”

Keith pressed his lips into a thin line but obliged anyway. He unwrapped the box as if he was unwrapping something fragile and lifted the lid with bated breath. Inside was a neatly braided friendship bracelet with three pieces of yarn in three shades of blue.

“My favourite colour is blue,” Lance started to explain eagerly. “So you can think of me all the time! I have the kit in my room so we can make more friendship bracelets, too.”

Dark eyes shone and they stared at the gift sitting dainty in the boy’s palms. “Thank you.”

“What are best friends for?” Lance asked cheerly and squeezed Keith’s hand.

Keith looked up at him with a sad look. “My gift is ugly compared to yours.”

Lance blinked. “You got me a gift?”

The other boy nodded weakly.

Lance gasped. “I love it already.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Give it to me then.”

Keith seemed reluctant to do so but Lance’s pleading eyes work on everyone who has a soul. Lance learned his ways from Rachel.

“Lemme get it.” He mumbled before speed walking up the stairs and heading back down a minute later. He had something clenched in his hands and kneeled in front of his best friend.

“Sorry It’s not wrapped.” Keith apologized in a small voice.

Lance’s smile softened and held out his hands for Keith to put the gift in.

An ornament. Shaped like a great white shark wearing a Santa hat. It was perfect.

“It’s perfect. I love it, Red.” He gave Keith a tight hug and Keith did it back but with less force.

Lance bounced to his feet and moved an ornament on the tree to replace it with his new shark one so it could be right in the middle, front and center for everyone to see. He stepped back to admire it.

“So,” Lance’s papi started. “Who wants pancakes?”

Two weeks later, Lance’s family would be taking down the tree and he would grab his ornament to put safely on his nightstand so he could see it every day.

* * *

**January 1, 2096**

Midnight has passed and the fireworks boomed and crackled in the sky, casting shadows of colours on the ground below. The cold air bit at any revealed skin and the snow reflected the rainbow that shone bright in the sky. It was a cloudless night, showing a crescent moon and the northern star winking in the darkness.

The roof let Keith escape the muffled buzz of kids and adults cheering for the new year with whistles and drums pounding with the sharp sounds of fireworks. A campfire crackles as it burns a tall flame and sets the world below into a golden glow before being disrupted by the flash of vivid colour.

The roof was cold and lingering water from the snow he pushed aside soaked his pajamas, but he ignored the splintering feeling and instead basked in the muffled sounds around him. He was bundled in a thick coat and a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, and gloves that had a hole on the left thumb. His feet bristled from his wet socks which made him regret not wearing his snow boots instead of his sneakers, but he won’t admit Mrs. Davis was right when she scolded him before they went outside.

His breath created a fog as he sighed into the busy night and he sighed again just to see the cloud take form and dissipate into the air like a ghost. He did it again and again and again until the crisp air hurt too much for him to breathe in.

Keith fiddled with the cheap thread around his wrist and smiled at the thought of jewel eyes, a pointed nose, soft hair, and long fingers that felt so perfectly entwined with his own. A smile that could outshine any firework and laughter that could drown out the cheers of crowds.

A warmth spread through his chest at the thought of the charismatic boy that set a match on fire and tossed it at Keith’s feet to let him burn.The flame of the campfire glitches before burning even brighter, dancing to spread heat and comfort.

His name was being called and he looked down to see Mrs. Davis waving at him from below. Half of her is illuminated with gold and the latter was covered in a shadow. She was calling for him to get down and join them.

Uncertainty crawled on his skin and the strong feeling of not wanting to move from his own little corner of the world was strongly compelling. The memory surfaced of smiles and handshakes, along with hugs from strangers in a house they call home. It was so different and strange, but he stayed. He stayed for the unfamiliar feeling of being wanted in a group of people and the proud smile Lance would give whenever someone would start a conversation with Keith.

Then there was Mrs. Davis, calling him down even after a full minute of Keith not responding. She was trying to coerce him into coming with the promise of smores, hot chocolate and fire for warmth.

Keith already had warmth though, and smores and hot chocolate could be had at any time, but still. The abrupt urge to join grew like there was an unexpected hook wheeling him towards the crowd.

He looked up to the flashing sky, the colour of purple glimmers before slowly dying off as it fell. He looked down and Mrs. Davis was quiet as she waited for a response.

Keith climbed down the roof and Mrs. Davis tried to hide the glittering excitement and pride while she led him to the crowd.

* * *

 **January 15, 2096**

The world can sometimes feel like everything at once while Lance was paralyzed. Like everything was frozen, but still moved slowly as if the thing encased in ice is trying to break free from it’s hold. It was something so foreign and terrifying that he felt like he had to compensate for the stillness of the world by moving fast.

It would start out with his leg fidgeting in short and fast movements. Then he would start playing with the dried cuticles at his fingernails, his fingers rubbing against the dead skin to make sure every finger could brush the nail folds. He would even continue to do this when all the dead skin fell off. 

Another thing he would do was scrape the skin on his lips. He would peel little pieces on the skin to the point where it would start bleeding. His lips were often dry and cracked, spots of red showing where he picked at them. Sometimes it would be so bad where the spots turned purple. His mama would always scold him when this happened and would shove chapstick in his hands as if that would solve everything.

These were habits that seemed so unbreakable. Things that were so natural that he never noticed when he did those things as if they were ingrained in his brain. Normally, they would help and Lance could just move on with his life, but today, with the frozen world, was an exception. 

Lance couldn’t tell you what triggered it. He couldn’t tell you the exact moment or reason behind his sudden desperate need to move. It would come without any explanation and it would be so sudden, even during times that Lance felt happy it could happen. He didn’t understand it. Maybe everyone felt this way too. Yeah, that’s it. There’s no point in telling anyone. 

Lance and Keith just got back to his house after a full day of running around with the chickens in the backyard and building snowmen. His mama was in the middle of making dinner and Lance had offered to help his mama a total of four times, which she then declined four times. She suggested for him to help his papi with the car he was fixing, so Lance dragged Keith into the garage to plead to his papi if he needed help. His papa’s laugh made the pit in Lance’s stomach grow. The two boys were then kicked out to rest on the couch.

They were now watching a show on the television, Keith completely enthralled in the colour coded power rangers. Lance was not able to pay attention through the whole thing. All of his fidgeting disasters were up on the surface as he dug himself into the couch, leg twitching, and lips being peeled. 

He looked to the window that was close enough that he would make it if he jumped and crashed right through. He pictured himself running away from the house and into the streets and never stopping. He pictured himself screaming at the top of his lungs so someone could hear his hopeless need to escape the world. 

He looked over to Keith who was watching the show intently.

“You wanna do something?” Lance asked quickly, hope was the only thing that was keeping him from actually running away.

Keith shrugged, eyes still on the screen. “Not really.”

Lance’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Are you sure? You don’t want to go for a walk or something?” Lance tried to not let the fear escape his voice.

Keith turned his head to look at him and Lance looked away. “We’ve been walking all day, Lance. Let’s rest.” 

“But I don’t want to rest. I want to do something.” Lance ignored the stinging of his eyes and bit his lip.

“Then do something.” Keith replied, looking back to the screen.

Lance furrowed his brows and wiped at his nose despite there being no snot. He could just do something by himself, but he couldn’t just leave Keith in his house as Lance frolicked away. His mama would yell at him for doing that. Lance looked over to Keith, his hair was starting to get a little longer and poofed out at odd angles. 

Lance jumped up to his feet.

“Can I play with your hair?!” He yelled excitedly and a little desperately too.

Keith blinked and put his hand on the back of his exposed neck. “But my hair is too short.”

“No it’s not. Just wait here!”

Without waiting for a response, Lance ran up the stairs to gather hair clips and hair ties and anything else he could find to put in Keith’s hair. He sprinted back downstairs with big bundles of hair accessories and a hairbrush. Keith rolled his eyes when he saw Lance’s collection but didn’t say anything. 

Lance hopped onto the top on the couch to be directly behind his friend, legs hanging from either side of Keith’s body. He didn’t notice that his hands were shaking this whole time until Lance started brushing at Keith’s tangled locks. Lance forced himself to take long, even breaths to make sure Keith didn’t notice his shaking.

They didn’t talk as Lance put colourful clips of bows and butterflies, decorating Keith’s hair. Ponytails stuck out in several directions, the one holding his bangs up made Keith look like a unicorn which had Lance stifling a laugh.

The longer Lance worked on Keith’s hair, the calmer Lance got. His heartbeat slowed down and his insides didn’t feel like they wanted to be ripped out. He was only slightly shaking as he ran his hands in the thick hair and he forced himself to focus on the way the hair parted for his fingers like water instead of dreading the sudden attack of panic that just occurred.

“You should grow out your hair so I can braid it.” Lance said after he was sure his voice wouldn’t waver.

“But only girls have long hair.” Keith said in confusion, his head tilted and Lance forced his head to go back straight.

“That’s not true, dumb dumb. My tio has hair that goes down to his shoulders and he lets me braid it all the time.” Lance explained while adding another butterfly clip.

Keith was silent for a few seconds. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

Keith nodded. “I’ll grow out my hair.”

Lance gasped in excitement, the lingering shaking dissipated. “Really?”

Keith craned his neck to look up at Lance. “Sure. If you like it, then why not?”

“You’re the best, Red!” Lance pulled him into an awkward behind hug.

Keith didn’t say anything back, but he returned the embrace.

Lance then continued to add in clips and hair ties and readjusted everything to make it all look perfect, just to make sure he was back to normal. Lance was able to convince Keith to keep it all in during dinner, where Lance had also pridefully showed off his work to his family. He didn’t dare mention the crushing feeling he felt just a few hours earlier.

* * *

**February 4, 2096**

“I wanna fall in love ” Lance and Keith were sitting in Lance’s living room as they watched the snow fall heavily onto the waiting ground. “My mama and papi fell in love before they started dating. It’s so romantic.”

“You want to be in love first?” Keith asked beside him on the couch. 

Lance took a while of watching the white snowflakes drape onto the driveway before he said anything. “I think if I fall in love first… she’ll be the one. The girl I’ll forever be with.”

“Does it have to be a girl?” Keith inquired, turning towards Lance.

Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. They are who I like.”

Keith frowned, obviously not satisfied with the reasoning. “Did you decide that or someone else?”

Lance’s smile deterred as he thought for a moment. 

“Did someone drink too much eggnog?” He put on his smile as he gestured towards the empty glasses on the table. 

Lance didn’t think he could ever get used to Keith’s sudden Shower Thoughts that he would spring out so suddenly. It was always like a gunshot in the middle of a quiet desert - loud, sudden, and impactful. Each time, it would take time for Lance to recuperate and push aside Keith’s weekly god-like thought with a forced joke.

Later, when Keith and Lance would part ways that night, Lance would have to fall asleep late from all the thoughts and questions Keith had sprung up earlier that day. It was mentally exhausting, but Lance liked that about Keith - he made him think and reconsider the world in a new point of view. 

Lance pushes his mending thoughts for later and instead settles for the moment. Just Keith and Lance sitting on the couch, talking while his mama prepared dinner in the kitchen right next door. 

“I think I have a crush on a girl in my class.” Lance said, changing position to cross his legs. “Her name is Kara.”

“She sounds boring.” Keith said, blunt as ever.

Lance snorted a laugh. “Then good thing she’s not the love of my life. You won’t have to worry about her boring you for long.”

Keith hummed. “Yeah.” 

“I can’t wait until I fall in love.” Lance mused, leaning back into the couch with a dreamy sigh. “Everything will be better. Like birthdays, or school, or the dentist.”

Keith looked like he was about to speak but Lance beat him to it when a thought came to mind. 

“When’s your birthday, Red?”

Keith began to tap a rhythm on his leg. “October 23.”

“What?!” Lance was now on his feet, staring madly at Keith who was watching him with a curious gaze.

“That was just three months ago! Why didn’t you tell me?” Lance frowned.

Keith shrugged, something he did to seem nonchalant. “It doesn’t matter.”

Lance pouted then sat next to his friend again. “But you matter.”

Scoffing, Keith crossed his arms and stared at the empty cup on the table in front of them. “Sure, Lance.”

Lance shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me? Friends are supposed to tell each other things.”

Keith gave out a long sigh. “Well we won’t be friends for long.” He muttered, loud enough for Lance to hear. 

Lance’s frown increased as he stared into his lap with intense thought. What did Keith mean by that? Did he not want to be friends with him any more? Lance knew he could be too much for people with his loud and extreme personality, but he genuinely thought Keith liked hanging out with him.

“Are you crying?” Keith asked with panic in his voice.

Lance felt his face with shaky fingers and he could feel the fresh tears trailing down his cheeks. His lips were trembling and he closed his eyes tight, afraid of what Keith might think of him. He’ll probably leave him just like so many others did at his school.

“I’m sorry Lance. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Are you okay?” Lance peeked his eyes open to see Keith flailing his arms around in panic, desperate eyes searching Lance’s face.

“Are we not friends?” Lance asked in a quiet voice. 

Keith shook his head. “No, of course we are, it’s just that…”

“What?”

Keith sighed, pulling his gaze away. “You’ll leave me. When you get bored of me you’ll leave and I’ll be alone just like before.”

“That’s stupid.” Lance decided. His voice was hard and stern, causing Keith to look at him in astonishment. “I will never leave you, Red. You’re my friend and I’ll never get bored of you. Besides,” Lance shoved his arm playfully. “Who’s gonna beat you in our races.”

“Pfft, you know I always win.” Keith smirked. 

“As if. I’m too good to beat.” Lance flipped his imaginary hair over his shoulder.

“Sure, Lance.” Keith then frowned. He reached up and wiped away the stray tears from Lance’s face, thumb softly grazing the skin. “There. All better.”

Lance smiled. “Want more eggnog?”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said I had too much.”

Lance waved his hand like he was shooing a fly. “Past me was clearly wrong.”

Keith snorted. “Clearly.”

Lance smacked his arm but a smile still shone bright on his face.

* * *

**February 14, 2096**

Keith was lying in bed reading when somebody knocked on his door. Immediately, he was filled with irritation of being disturbed. Maybe if he’d be quiet they’ll go away.

“Keith! I know you’re in there!” It was Mrs. Davis, which made Keith a little bit more okay with being forcefully removed from the world of Hogwarts. He might have teased Lance about reading Harry Potter but that didn’t mean he couldn’t read it.

“I’m not here.” Keith called out. “Leave a message after the beep. Beep.”

There was a pause. “Hello, Keith. My name is Mrs. Davis and I’m calling because you have a visitor. His name is Lance.”

That made Keith perk up. He shoved his bookmark into the correct page and hopped off his bed. Opening the door he saw Mrs. Davis looking smug in her orange dress and a hand on her hip.

“Shut up.”

Mrs. Davis chuckled instead of scolding at his choice of words. “It was nice to finally meet the boy you have become so infatuated with lately.”

Keith walked past her hoping she’d leave, but instead she was following him.

“I’m not infatuated with him.” He grumbled.

“Right, right. Whatever you say.” Her voice was filled with mischief. 

Keith turned to glare at her. “It is what I say and what I say is right.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t doubt you for a second.” It was obvious she was trying to hold a smile.

Keith shook his head and continued walking down the hall and Mrs. Davis separated to turn towards the offices while Keith headed straight to the foyer.

It was cloudy that day but sun rays escaped the thick barricade of grey as if desperate to provide some warmth. It allowed a ray of light to shine through the window and into the dim building, creating a spot light onto a hunched figure. It looked like a scene from an award winning movie.

Lance was sitting on one of the benches, elbows on his knees as he looked sadly at the bundle of flowering weeds. Dandelions, yellow wood sorels, and wild violets were held together along with long pieces of grass. It was oddly beautiful despite being weeds.

“What are you doing here?”

Lance snapped his head up at Keith’s voice and he was immediately taken aback by the glassy eyes that looked so sad as they looked at him, a halo of light lining his body in gold. Keith was in action, soon at the boy’s side and asking what was wrong.

“She said no.” Lance whispered and he sounded so broken that it struck a chord in Keith.

“What do you mean?” He put a hand on his back reassuringly. 

Lance let out a shuddering breath and clutched the bouquet tight in his grip.”At school I asked Kara out because it’s Valentine's Day and she said no.” 

Keith slowly nodded. He didn’t understand the feeling of being rejected by a girl since he never had a crush before, but he could tell it must really hurt by how Lance was reacting to it.

“I told you she was boring.”

Lance let out a spiteful laugh. “You always gotta be right.”

Keith shrugged with a slight smile. “It’s my specialty.”

There was a tired sigh and a head falling on his shoulder. Lance began playing with a petal of one of the many dandelions. 

“I like the bouquet.” Keith told him.

“I had chocolates too.”

“What happened to them?”

“I ate them.”

Keith snorted a laugh and Lance’s head bobbed on his shoulder as Keith shook from the action.

“I have two more if you want one.” Lance said, reaching into his pocket to pull out two wrapped chocolates.

“You want me to eat your rejected chocolates?”

Lance shrugged. “Chocolate is chocolate.”

Keith found himself reaching for the chocolate. Lance started to unwrap his so Keith followed, then Lance held his up as a toast.

“To rejection.” The boy said.

“To love.” Keith said, then they tapped the chocolate together before popping them into their mouths.

It was sickeningly sweet, enough to feel the sugar grains, and it slightly burned his throat because of how cheap it was. Though at the same time, it was perfect. Maybe it was because of the company.

“Wanna destroy the bouquet?” Keith suggested.

Lance looked up at him with calculating eyes then a slow smirk grew on his face. “Let’s go.”

Lance then was dragging Keith outside, the cold air biting at their skin, and he handed Keith half of the bouquet.

“After three.” Lance said. “One, two, three!”

The weeds flew into the sky and parted like the fireworks on new years eve and bounced when they hit the ground quietly. They didn’t go far since they were so light and their throws were pretty weak too, but that didn’t stop the duo from yelling out warrior cries as they stomped on the weeds.

Laughter filled the air as the two danced on their destroyed masterpiece. When it died down, Keith walked over to the planted flowers that lined the building. He plucked a red rose and began snapping off the thorns.

“What are you doing?” Lance was a shadow as he stood over a working Keith.

“Just wait.”

He checked the stem to see if he missed any thorns then stood up and faced a curious Lance. Keith smiled and softly placed the rose behind the boy's ear and the action made Lance stare at him with wide eyes. Keith avoided Lance’s stare, and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Lance’s tanned skin turned into a beautiful shade of red and became even brighter when Keith winked.

“See you later, Dandelion boy.” Then Keith was rushing inside to hide his embarrassment and burning face.

Keith fell face first onto his bed and screamed into the pillow while kicking at the mattress.

Why did he do that?

Why did he like it?

Maybe he was infatuated.

* * *

**March 3, 2096**

Something changed between them.

It was the way they always gravitated towards each other, whether they were walking down the snowy streets, laying on the orphanage’s roof, or scooting their chairs closer when eating dinner at Lance’s house.

It was the touches and the hand holding and Lance running his fingers through Keith’s hair. The way they hugged tighter before leaving each other and the way Lance felt himself all fluttery when he caught those dark eyes.

It wasn’t just Lance who noticed this. His family apparently knew as well since all his siblings were staring at him from his bedroom door as he made another friendship bracelet for Keith. They all had amused looks on their faces as they finally approached their younger brother and all sat on his blue sheeted bed. Veronica sat right next to him in her orange dress while the others sat across from them in shirts with different animals on them. 

Lance tilted his head in confusion as to why they were all in his room with smug expressions.

“So,” Marco purred. “Whatcha doing there hermoso?”

Lance dismissed his sibling’s weird behaviour and beamed when he started to tell them about his new project for Keith. He was learning how to do a fishtail braid for this bracelet and so far it was turning out very bad. Apparently fishtail braids are very different from normal ones, but that’s okay because now he has practise before he’ll get to braid Keith’s hair.

“How many bracelets have you made so far?” Veronica asked, picking up a yellow string from the set laid out on the bed.

Lance thought about it for a second. “Six.”

“Wow,” Luis exclaimed. “He’s getting a big collection then. He’s a real lucky guy.”

There was something in his voice but Lace couldn’t read between the lines. So, like usual when his older siblings act weird, despite Rachel being only a year older, Lance asked what they meant.

Veronica nudged his arm. “It’s just that you seem to be very infatuated with him.” Rachel nodded excitedly like she knew something that he didn’t and was very happy about it.

“What does in-fat-uated mean?” His pronunciation was off so Veronica repeated the word.

“Infatuated means to be obsessed with someone.” She leaned in closer and wiggled her eyebrows, her glasses twinkled in the artificial light. “Romantically.”

His face grew in flames as his siblings chuckled. His stomach twisted and his eyes widened in horror.

“You’re lying!” He shouted.

“What’s going on in here?” It was mama, poking her head into the room.

Before Lance could whine, Veronica put a hand over his mouth.

“We’re just talking about how Lance has a crush on Keith.”

Lance bit down on her hand hard and she immediately drew her hand back and cradled it to her chest. He grinned in triumph despite the growing heat to his face.

“So he figured it out?” His mama said to his horror.

He stumbled for words as she walked into the room with a smirk on her face.

“I don’t have a crush on Keith! We’re best friends!”

“Oh come on,” Luis began. “You’ll look cute together when you get old enough to date.”

“But I don’t like boys!” Lance argued.

“Of course, mijo.” His mama said as she squeezed herself beside him and began to run fingers through his hair. It felt comforting in a time of need. “You have all the time in the world to figure yourself out.”

“Yeah!” Rachel added helpfully.

“What’s happening?”

At the doorway was his papi and Lance groaned miserably. Who’s next? The chickens?

“We’re talking about how Lance has a crush on Keith and doesn’t know it yet.” Marco explained and yelped when Lance kicked him.

“Oh.” Papi leaned on the door frame. “I bet it’ll take over ten years for them to get together.”

“Nah, I vote for 8.” Veronica added.

Lance never wanted to leave his family so much at the very moment as they all placed bets. So, Lance got up, leaving the bracelet kit behind him and walked out.

“Where are you going?” Shouted Luis. “To see Keith?”

The bedroom was filled with laughter and Lance continued to stomp away with a growl in his throat. He moved downstairs and fell into the couch making it whine underneath his weight. Lance curled up against the arm and played with the red bracelet around his wrist that Keith made for him.

It was not in the least perfect, with broken strings hanging out and obvious mistakes showed clear as day. It was beautiful anyways and he wore it with pride, a warmth filled his chest.

They were best friends and that was that. Nothing more and nothing less.

Besides.

Lance only liked girls.

* * *

**March 17, 2096**

Ian has noticed Keith’s sudden good mood lately, which leads to more teasing. At some point, Keith had enough and joined Ms. Davis in the staff room for lunch. He had entered without a word, head down and food in his hands as he sat right next to her. She stared at first but then continued eating and discreetly slid over a chocolate pudding towards him as a sign of welcome.

It was going well for a while. Keith would eat in the staff room, and he would spend all his time either reading in the confines in his bedroom or meeting up with Lance. Apparently, Ian was not fond of having no daily dose of “Harass Keith” in his system. So about a week into this, Keith comes back from a full weekend of being at the McClains and walking into his bedroom to see a complete mess, books splattered on the floor and his few articles of clothing draping haphazardly over the wide open drawers. Then he sees his box, filled with memories of his dad, strewn on the floor as if someone dumped the whole thing without a sense of care. 

Keith runs. Runs toward the ruins, picking up each piece of his past with shaky hands and a stinging nose. He searched for each one, each photo and book that he had kept safe for so long. The photo of him and his dad on the porch, on the roof stargazing, on the hover bike looking over the edge of a cliff, all captured moments showing bright smiles. The Doctor Seuss books that were already worn from use. It was all there, some bent but they were there and he held them so close to his chest to give himself some needed breath. 

There was something missing. Keith lifted the box from when it was facing upside down and there was nothing to reveal. He carefully placed the photos and children's books in the box, which was deemed harder than it should’ve been since his hands were trembling in shock. 

Then he was frantic. Frantically storming around his room, under his bed, under the nightstand and the sheets. Everywhere and it was still gone.

His mom’s knife was gone.

The next few minutes was a blur. Keith had sprinted out of the room and began yelling for Mrs. Davis. She came along with Mrs. Wender, both confused when looking down at Keith. “Someone stole something from me” he kept yelling, over and over again when he was asked what was wrong. Kids were crowding in and Keith could only search the many faces that could’ve stolen from him. 

Then his eyes landed on Ian. He was leaning on the side wall, a devilish smirk on his face and his eyes glinted with the coldness that no child should ever bear. Keith could only see red. He stormed up to the other boy and surprised himself when suddenly his fist was colliding with a cheek. It hurt his knuckles, but at the moment he couldn’t feel anything except for rage.

“Where did you put it.” Keith sneered at Ian who was reeling from surprise.

“Keith!” Mrs. Davis came up beside him and gently pushed him away from Ian. “What has gotten into you?”

“Please, Mrs. Davis, this child has always been a problem.” Mrs. Wender sneered.

Mrs .Davis straightened and gave her co-worker a hard gaze. Keith didn’t think he’s ever seen her so mad before. “There has to be a logical reason behind this and I will not let you undermine a kid.” She turned toward him, face automatically switching back to her usual soft self. “What happened?”

Keith swallowed. “He destroyed my room and stole something from me.”

Mrs. Wender scoffed. “Ian has already told me you stole his Pokemon cards and so he got them back.”

Keith blinked completely fazled by this obvious lie. “What are you talking about? I don’t even like Pokemon! It doesn’t even matter because he ruined all of my belongings!”

The older woman was taller than him, but if his hands weren’t so numb, he’d punch her face too. She towered over him and smacked her thin lips. “I would care more about your situation if Ian had not found a knife in your room.”

Mrs. Davis stood beside him. “A kitchen knife?”

“No. A dagger.”

The younger woman gasped and looked at Keith with shock. “You carried a dagger with you this whole time?”

“Do not worry,” Mrs. Wender began, already walking toward the staff room. “I have confiscated it where he cannot find it.”

Keith was screaming, begging for his possession back, but she left without a glance. He began to plead with Mrs. Davis but she looked conflicted and disappointed as he tried to explain. She began to walk away, leading Ian to the infirmary with a sad frown on her face. Ian looked back at Keith and gave him a triumphant smirk.

There was no way he just lost his mother’s knife, the only thing he had of her. He couldn’t breathe, think or hear the crowd of students dispersing and whispering under their breath about the psychopathic kid. He sprinted out of the building and welcomed the fresh air like a lifeline.

Then he crashed into someone and felt their hands on him to steady them both. Keith looked up to see brown eyes, warm and friendly and they gazed at the boy with so much worry and kindness that Keith couldn’t hold back his tears anymore.

He was wrapped in strong arms and three voices surround him with comforting words that bring him back to Earth. He feels grounded in their arms, a warmth that he hasn’t found in a long time. He sobs into a neck, letting out all of the frustration that has built up since the death of his father, since just a moment ago when the last piece of his mom was ripped away. 

Eventually, The Shirogane’s go inside the building but Shiro stays, leading them towards a bench that sits outside the stone building. Keith pulls his knees up and stares at the grass that was slowly coming back to life after the cold winter. The air was chilly with only a shirt on and his feet were only safe with the protection of mismatched socks. 

“So,” Shiro started and Keith physically flinched at the upcoming questions. “What do you think of coming over to our house for dad’s birthday? Does that sound good to you?”

Keith looked up at the older boy. “I was just sobbing into your neck and you are asking me if I want to come to your dad’s birthday party?”

Shiro smiled and Keith didn’t know how he felt about that at the moment. He felt too hollow to feel anything at the moment. “Pretty much. It’ll just be us four, no one else.”

Keith frowned. It wasn’t an ideal situation, having to be social with this family who were making such a grave mistake to spend all of their efforts on Keith. He was surprised they lasted this long at all. They were going to realize that they don’t want him sooner or later and Keith won’t let himself be crushed again once it happens.

“Just think about it okay? It’s not until a week so you have time.” Keith nodded and wiped at his nose with a sniffle.

They stayed in silence for a short moment, Shiro staring up at the sky where the few clouds flew lazily above, and Keith stared at the ground where dead leaves lied. 

“So what got you so upset?”

Ah. Keith knew the question was going to come up, he just didn’t know when. Shiro was weird like that, always surprising Keith.

“A kid stole from me.” Cause why not tell him after ruining his shirt with tears.

“Did you get it back?” Keith shook his head and clutched his hand, a phantom feeling of a hilt in his palm.

“Good news!” A voice called out and the two boys turned to see Shiro’s parents walking out of the building, both smiling. “You know, when they said a kid stole something from you we were expecting it was a stuffed animal or a book. Not a dagger.” Mrs. Shirogane waved said dagger in her hand and handed it to Keith, hilt facing him. 

He held the knife gently in his grasp and ran his finger over the cloth that was still wrapped around the symbol just as he left it. “How-”

“We sweet talked Mrs. Wender into giving it to us.” Mr. Shirogane explained and handed Keith a tissue.

Mrs. Shirogane sat on the arm of the bench next to Keith, giving him a wide smile. “We saw what you did to that kid. Didn’t know you have such a mean hook.”

“Wait what?!” Shiro exclaimed. “You punched a kid?!”

Keith shrugged after lightly blowing his nose in the tissue. “He deserved it.”

“Heck yeah he did!” Mr. Shirogane lifted his hand for Keith to high-five and the boy stared at it for a moment before finishing the gesture with a clap.

Unfortunately, this meant Shiro was able to see his bruised knuckles which sent him into mother-hen mode and grabbed Keith’s injured hand with talk of alcohol and bandages.

“Calm down Takashi,” Mrs.S chided. “Everyone should punch someone at least once in their lives. Your father did in high school when a guy was hitting on me and I punched the same guy after your father lost the fight.” She was demonstrating the action by punching the air with a smug smirk.

“You didn’t have to bring that up.” Her husband mumbled.

“Is everyone just gonna forget that Keith carries around a big scary dagger?” Shiro asked with disbelief. 

They both shrugged. “If he wants to talk, then he will talk.” said Mrs.Shirogane.

The strange thing was that Keith did want to talk, but what would they say? They’ll call his family a freak show just like the kids call Keith at the orphanage. Yet those smiles that they were giving him, so open and trusting, were telling him that it was okay. It’s okay to open up to people.

“It was my moms. It’s the only thing I have of her besides from a few stories my dad told me.” He was fiddling with the dagger, sharp and glinting with questions he’ll never have answered.

There was a hum. “I guess your mom was a real bad ass. Like me!”

Keith queried an eyebrow at the woman who was showing off her biceps. His lips twitched in a small smile, because yeah, she was badass wasn’t she?

“Mom, stop teaching him swear words.”

“Please, he probably knows all of them. Anyway, did Takashi tell you about his dad’s birthday?”

Mr. Shirogane perked up at the mention of the day. “You gotta come, Keith. I’ll only be turning forty-two once!”

They all stare expectantly, waiting patiently for his answer. They looked so alike, so much like a family where each of them belong. Keith interrupting that was not something he wanted for them, they deserved far better.

“Why me?” He asked. “Isn’t there another kid that you’d like to bring that’s a better choice?”

They all frowned at his answer. Then Mr. Shirogane was kneeling in front of him, his hand massive and calloused around Keith’s. “Keith, the moment we met you, we stopped looking for kids to adopt. We knew in our hearts that you belonged with us.”

There was a hand on his shoulder, thumb rubbing soothingly like a mother’s touch. “It would be an honour for you to join us Keith. We genuinely love being around you.”

“What do you say kiddo?” Shiro’s hand ruffled Keith’s hair. “Join us?”

He imagined his dad, a sturdy hand pulling him through aisles of the library with the scent of old paper and the distant sound of pages flipping. He picked Keith up onto his shoulder so he could search the top shelves. They find a secluded spot and cuddle together, Keith in his father’s lap as he read out loud in a soft whisper. The feeling of belonging somewhere felt so nice, his heart filled up on love.

The Shirogane’s could never replace his dad, but he could give them a chance if it meant that he can feel loved again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of January 15: L and K come back to the McClain house from playing and L still has built up energy. He asks his parents if they need help and they say no, so L and K watch TV but L can't focus bc of his energy and feeling of being useless. L starts playing with K's hair to calm himself down and tells K to grow out his hair so he can braid it.
> 
> Keith's mullet is Lance's fault and I find that hillarious.
> 
> This chapter has some of my favourite scenes, New years eve, Shirogane's not caring about K's dagger, Valentine's day bc it was too cute, and L's panic attack scene bc everything in there is exactly how I felt and did when I used to have mini panic attacks: Fidgetting leg, plays with dead cuticle skin and peel my lips (which I all still do btw) and I used to braid my friend's hair. I don't have them anymore so it's all good :)


	3. Allergies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and the McClain family bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm changing the story's summary bc I don't like it so I just wanted you to know.
> 
> Also, I just wanna say that Mama McClain's English is not so good because it's not her first language and spent majority of her life in Cuba. I based how she speaks by my own experience with Italian immigrant grandparents who don't do well with the English way of making words plural and mixing their native tongue into English dominated sentences.

**April 12, 2096**

It was the first time Lance had been to the Shirogane’s house. Since arriving, he relied on Keith to show him around the two story house. It was nice, even nicer than his own house being bigger and more modern with fancy furniture that doesn't have a year's worth of dents and tears from careless children. 

Keith has been spending more and more time with the Shirogane’s, sometimes interfering with Lance’s time with him, which was the reason why he was there. The family were all kind and welcomed him with cheery smiles, talking about how happy they were to ‘meet Keith’s best friend’.

Keith and Lance were enjoying the nice day on the porch, eating food Mr. Shirogane made. It was good but nothing could compare to mama’s cooking. Then the door slid open and Shiro walked out, he was tall and practically the spitting image of his dad except for his copper eyes that his mom wears. From what Keith told him, Shiro was an old soul, selfless and wise, which Lance learned to be true from the moment he formally met him. 

“Hey guys,” Shiro greeted. “Done with your plates?” They nod and the older boy takes their dirty dishes. 

“Thanks Shiro.” Lance said. The boy froze and stared at Lance who watched with confusion at the shocked expression that was on Shiro’s face.

The boy finally chuckled. “Keith’s gotten you calling me that too?” Lance scrunched his face, was that not his name? “My first name is Takashi, but Keith started to call my Shiro because he’s lazy.” He explained with a smirk towards Keith. Lance thought about it, yeah Shiro Shirogane doesn’t sound like an actual name, unless your parents set you up to be teased about it through your entire life. “Oh and Keith, remind me to give you back your book.”

Keith scoffed. “So you finally read it all? It took you only a century.”

“Not my fault I have more homework than a six grader.”

“Not my fault you’re an old man.”

“That’s it!” Shiro then put the dishes down and swept Keith in his arms like the boy weighed nothing. Keith yelled at the attack and cried out when he was hung upside down. Lance watched in amusement as Keith held onto Shiro so he wouldn’t fall while he swung back and forth like the old clock in Lance’s abuelita’s house. 

“Shiro! Put me down!” Keith was smiling, laughing as he was swung carelessly about.

“Say that I’m not an old man. Say it!” Shiro shook his arms, making Keith yelp at the sudden jostle.

“Never!” 

“Then say so long to your book because Imma burn it.” He said it with a teasing smirk, obviously bluffing. Keith had to know this as well but he played along and protested the threat by kicking at the older boy’s legs.

Shiro then put Keith down with zero grace and ran into the kitchen, leaving the dirty plates behind. Keith gathered his barings then raced into the house, leaving a helpless Lance who carefully walked into the house.

The Shirogane’s were watching Keith attempt to get to Shiro who was leaning against the counter and had his hand pushing at Keith’s head. Lance watched as Keith struggled to get to the older boy but it was to no avail. Mr. Shirogane then came from behind and grabbed Keith from under his armpits and lifted him up.

“Help me tame the beast!” He shouted as Keith struggled in his grip.

Shiro grabbed his feet and forced the boy to be still. Mrs. Shirogane then crept up, hands up threateningly. “Here comes the tickle monster!”

“What?!” Keith yelped, “I’m too old for the tickle monster!”

Then she was tickling him, causing him to volt with laughter. “Lance! Come help us destroy the little beast!”

Lance smiled wide and ran over toward the family and went straight to tickling Keith’s neck, a spot he found earlier to be his weakest point.

“Traitor!” Keith glared at him as he attempted to cut Lance’s hand with his chin. Lance just smirked in response and continued to attack.

He was happy Keith was able to finally find a family that deserves him. And if it meant that Lance wasn’t able to see him as often, that’s alright with him.

Later that night, Keith brought him onto the roof. It was the first time Lance climbed onto a house, so he struggled with his footing and looked down nervously while Keith instructed him where to go. He was able to sit safely without feeling like he was slipping and was able to relax. He watched with concern as Keith climbed up beside him with far more grace than Lance, and set Lance’s bag onto his lap.

Lance began filtering through the Star Wars themed bag and dug out his book of constellations that was gifted to him on Christmas. The book was colourful, words popping out of the pages, all the explanations he could possibly read and pictures to match. 

Keith leaned in to get a closer look, the boy’s shoulders touching as they excitedly scan the pages that they’ve looked at so many times before. Lifting his gaze, Lance could see the dark sky that is sprinkled by the stars they were so obsessed with, thin clouds just barely masking away some of the constellations. Somehow the night sky looked even better when on the roof compared to his bedroom window. Something about being closer felt more comforting. 

Looking back to his best friend, he took in just how much happier Keith’s been from when they first met. He used to be so closed off, which he still was but more free. It was easier to have a conversation that didn’t fall flat because Lance would unknowingly mention something that triggered Keith. Now that he’s gotten closer to the Shirogane’s, he’s been even more open.

“The Shirogane’s seem really nice.” Keith looked up and gave him a small grin.

“Yeah, they are super cool. Shiro has been teaching me about flying spaceships!”

Lance’s eyes blew wide. “Wow, no way! He knows how to fly spaceships?”

Keith nodded eagerly. “He’s going to school at a place called Galaxy Garrison. They learn about space and planets and get to travel the milky way.” Keith watches his own hand as he waved it around like a wave in the ocean, the many friendship bracelets Lance made for him slipping down his arm.

“You mean we can learn about space at NASA?! Veronica told me about NASA. She also taught me that turtles breathe out of their butts.” Keith put down his hand which landed into Lance’s. They squeezed each other’s hand. “Red, your family is so cool. My family are just a bunch of boring business people.”

Keith frowned and turned away to look up at the expanse of stars. “They’re not my family.”

Lance scoffed. “Of course they are! You are only at Pluto’s for school and you’re either at the Shirogane’s or with me. Seems like love to me.”

Keith whipped his head at him with a strange rattled look on his face. It must be one of his favorite faces since he always used it so often. “Love?”

Shrugging, Lance closed the book and settled himself into a more comfortable position by crossing his legs. “Family are the ones you love, right? You don’t have to be related. My mama told me that when tio Lorenzo adopted mi prima. The one that sucks on her thumb, not the one who eats paper. That reminds me of a time Marco didn’t want to do his homework, so-”

Then Lance continued ranting off like always and Keith listened intently. Lance once asked if Keith actually listened to when he ranted, since a lot of his classmates said he was annoying for it. Keith proceeded to frown, ask why anyone would think that and say that he enjoyed listening to Lance. Lance was so surprised by his answer that he started a pillow fight to distract himself with the warm feeling in his stomach.

So, they both laid on the rooftop, hands linked together as they talked about travelling to space together and how it would be so much better landing on another planet than doing homework.

* * *

**April 23 2096**

When Keith arrived at the McClain household, he immediately let himself in, shrugged off his jacket and shoes and headed towards the multiple voices in the kitchen. 

“Why do I have to feed the pollos?!” Luis cried out. “I did it yesterday.”

Rosa was preparing dinner, stirring something inside a boiling pot. She wacked her son’s head with the end of the wooden spoon which earned a shout from the teenager. Rachel and Veronica snickered from the table where they were sitting.

“Basta!” Rosa scolded. “Do your work before your father gets home.”

“Keith!” Luis shouts, causing the boy to jump at being seen. The others in the room paid no attention to his sudden and unspoken arrival, all being used to him going in and out of the house. “You do the feeding. You like the chickens right?” Keith nodded slowly and with uncertainty. 

“Don’t drag poor cute lil’ Keith into your work, Luis.” Veronica chided, her hair was long and tangled into a messy ponytail. 

“Then why don’t you do it, Vee?”

Veronica’s glasses glinted. “Nice try, not happening. Rachel?”

Rachel shook her head solemnly. “Lo siento, I'm all of the sudden allergic to chickens.”

Veronica sighed. “What a shame.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Keith said, putting a comforting hand on Rachel’s shoulder.

Luis looked affronted by this and turned to his mother. “Are you seeing this?!”

“Sí, it looks like Rachel can no longer look after the chicken. Now go, Luis, before they starve to death.”

Luis looked between his mother and the other three who were still pretending to be sad as they dramatically clung to each other. Veronica let out an over-the-top sob before Luis stormed outside and towards the chicken coop.

“Yo,” Came in Marco, “Did I miss teasing Luis?”

Rachel nodded. “If it comes up, I am suddenly allergic to chickens.”

“Got it.” He held out a fist and Keith bumped it with his own, a new tradition they’ve got going on now. “Hey dude, Lance is still at school. Got some type of rehearsal or somethin’.”

“I know, I came ‘cause I was bored.”

“Well it’s nice to know you like being around us, hermanito.” Rachel elbowed him.

Veronica nodded. “Yeah, you always follow Lance around like a lost puppy.”

Keith furrowed his brow and crossed his arms at her teasing smirk. “No I don’t.”

“It is very cute.” Rosa smiled, her cheeks round and soft. “I take many photo to show you both in the future.”

“I’m looking so forward to how embarrassing that’ll be.” Marco laughed.

Keith pouted. “That’s not fair. Why am I the one getting embarrassed?”

Rachel shrugged. “Everyone from the McClain family gets embarrassed. It’s a part of the job description.” Veronica and Marco nodded in agreement, both with eyes distant, most likely remembering the past wrath of their parents. 

“As their mother I can confirm this. Don’t think just because you’re not blood you get out of it.” Rosa winked at him before turning the stove off and instructing them to set the table.

They were just finishing setting down the glasses when Luis returned with chicken feathers stuck to his shirt and chicken feed in his nails. He began washing his hand while mumbling about how he’ll never raise chickens when he moves out and gets married.

“You’re gonna have to find someone to marry you first.” Veronica teased and Luis glared at her.

“Finding someone will be easy. She’ll be beautiful and we’ll have two kids named Sylvio and Nadia.”

“Good luck with that.” Marco snorted out a laugh and Keith chuckled.

Luis turned to Keith and a mischievous smirk played on his lips. Oh no. “You think that’s funny, poor cute lil’ Keith?” He then tackled Keith and swung him in the air before setting him down and putting the boy in a headlock.

“Hey! You’re gonna break him!” Shouted Lance who bounted from the front door, his papa making his way behind him at a much slower pace.

Lance began punching at Luis’ side to which the older boy responded by releasing Keith and lifting Lance up in the air. Lance screeched in his hold, punching him harder to be let go.

“Basta! Boys!” Rosa shouted, which made the two brothers immediately stop and Luis put Lance back into a standing position. “No fighting in the house!”

“Lo siento, mamma.” The brothers muttered in union. 

Papa McClain walked into the kitchen with a chuckle. “Hola Keith.” Then he ruffled the boy's hair which made him grin back up at the tall man. “Let’s have dinner, sí?”

Lance ran up to Keith to give him a hug and a bright smile before they all sat down at the dinner table. The family rambled about their day while enjoying a warm bowl of stew, the sun lasting longer in the sky as it gets closer to summer. Soon Keith will be able to spend more time with them once school is done and he was looking forward to every moment.

* * *

**May 19, 2096**

“Lance, pay attention!”

“I am!”

“Okay, then tell me the answer to number seven.”

Lance looked down at the math textbook laid open in front of them, a jumble of numbers littering the page in a confusing mess. His eyes tried to focus on number seven, reading the first sentence of the word problem over and over again because really, how can Oswald have so many oranges? They’ll all go bad because he can’t eat them all like the time Marco bought too many bananas and mama had to bake six banana breads.

“Lance?”

“Hm?”

“The answer?”

“Oh, right.” Lance continued to read over the question but it just made him even more confused and he could feel a headache start to poke at his brain. Why was he so bad at math? Will it always be this difficult because he just can’t seem to get any of the information to stick in his brain? 

It was not only math, but every other subject besides from the arts and gym class, he always did great in P.E., everybody would fight over him to be on their team. Though when they had to do group projects for everything else, they would get a disappointed frown on their faces.

Lance couldn’t help it. The way his mind wanders despite how much he doesn’t want it to. There was no way of controlling it.

“Um….twelve?”

Keith huffed, slamming the pencil he was twirling in his hand down onto the kitchen table. “Why aren’t you getting this?! It’s so easy!”

“Well I don’t get it! It’s your fault you’re a terrible teacher!” Lance was frustrated, they were at this for two hours and he just wanted to sleep. Oh no, now his eyes were starting to sting, good job Lance for being an emotional dumb kid.

“I told you what to do a thousand times already, you should know what to do by now!” And now Keith was getting more heated up, his glare deadly and looking down at Lance making the boy’s eyes threaten to release a tear.

Please stop. Please don’t fall and let him see.

“This is different though! It’s a word problem now!” Lance had to look away, he couldn’t let Keith see his weakness. Instead, he stared down at the dreaded question seven and tried to focus on the words. Maybe he could get the answer right to show Keith that Lance didn’t need him to learn math. He could do this all by himself.

The problem was that he couldn’t focus. Now all he could think about was to suck in the salty tears that were beginning to blur his vision and the fear of disappointing Keith. Lance hastily tried to blink away the tears and he sniffed his almost running nose.

“Are you....are you crying?” Keith sounded surprised and worried, a slight panic he always got when somebody showed an overly sad emotion.

“No.” His voice betrayed him by wavering and he sniffed involuntarily which meant there was no way Keith was going to believe him.

“I didn’t realize how hard this was for you.” Keith’s voice was quiet and guilty.

Lance wiped his eyes with his fist because there was no point hiding it anymore. “Well, it is.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. Shiro’s been teaching me how patience yields focus but I’m not very good at it.”

Lance couldn’t help but huff out a light chuckle. “Believe me, I know.”

Keith nudged his shoulder and Lance nudged back as he wiped at his red nose.

“How about we try again? You can rewrite the question and break it down so you can read it easier.”

Lance quietly nodded and reached for his pencil. Keith then stood up and walked to the counter to come back with a handful of napkins and set them down in front of Lance. The boy thanked him and wiped his eyes clean before blowing his nose.

They shared a small smile and went back to work, Lance rewriting the question and Keith writing down the steps on a separate piece of paper for Lance to look back at. It took one more try before Lance got the answer and they both cheered and high-fived in the most happy way despite doing homework. 

They moved on to the last question and did the same process and it only took Lance two attempts for him to get the answer. They celebrated once again with the same amount of enthusiasm and quickly packed up and stashed the homework away in Lance’s room so they didn’t have to look at it anymore.

Turns out that all you need is a good method that personally works for you to achieve your goal.

The duo decided to spend time on the rooftop, a normal thing for them to do, so much so that the McClains first check the rooftop when searching for them. The climb is easy and practiced, no more fumbling and only complete confidence even with a bag filled with space books and snacks on their backs.

Flipping through the space books they have gathered over the weeks, they sat next to each other in a relaxed slump. Space books were the only books Lance could focus on, there was still some struggle with his mind going into far off places, but Lance likes to think it’s because space just does that to him. 

After all, the majority of the time when Lance’s mind ventures away from Earth’s surface, he’s flying in the great expanse of space.

And Keith was right there with him.

“Thank you.” Lance told Keith.

Keith looked up from his book and their eyes met. The boy chuckled and nudged Lance with his shoulder, “Sure thing, Dandelion boy.”

* * *

**May 24, 2096**

Keith was warm under the mass of blankets Mrs.Shirogane plopped onto him when they settled into the couch. She sat right next to him with a bowl of popcorn on her lap for them both to snack on. Mr.Shirogane however did not like popcorn because he was an insane maniac who preferred peanuts, so naturally Mrs.S banned him from the couch so he had to sit in the arm chair.

Mrs.S lasted twenty minutes into the movie until she nudged her husband with her leg and without hesitation he made his way to her side and wrapped her in his arms. It made Keith a bit uncomfortable, sitting right next to a happy married couple very much in love and openly expressing that in simple manners. He felt out of place but then Mr.S used his arm around his wife to nudge Keith and send him a look of accomplishment and Keith felt himself naturally smiling back.

Moving his attention back to the action movie, Keith continued to stuff his face with popcorn, his hand sometimes interfering with Mrs.S which resulted in some hand wars to fight for dominance. Mr. S attempted to grab a handful of popcorn which resulted in his hand getting hit by both parties in the ultimate alliance.

The front door then swung open and Shiro came bouncing into the house with his Galaxy Garrison uniform on, a bright orange that Keith always thought looked stupid. He wore a stupidly giddy smile on his face, eyes lost in dreamland like the character in the movie who’s currently talking to the other love interest. 

Shiro let his backpack drop at the foyer, a low boom created by the heavy textbooks that he let Keith read sometimes. Keith watched with curiosity as Shiro calmly walked into the living room, grabbed the remote and paused the movie the very moment before the main character was about to murder her lover.

They all stared at Shiro who looked back down at them with a giddy smile. “I have news.” 

“You got a perfect score on your test?” Mr.S guessed.

Shiro shook his head. “Only ninety-six percent.”

“That teacher you hate is retiring?” Mrs.S guessed.

Even the mention of said teacher who he has ranted about a billion times did not falter his smile. “Sadly, no. Iverson is still there.”

“They started selling chicken nuggets at the cafeteria?”

“They have responded to my multiple emails and they finally agreed but that’s not it.”

Mrs.S chuckled. “Then tell us so we can finish the movie. The good part is about to happen.” She pointed at the screen which showed the character’s dagger held at her lover’s throat.

“Okay, so you know how we were given our official flight groups today?”

“You were left by yourself because no one wanted you on their team?”

“Keith...please. Anyway, I was partnered up with Adam!”

Shiro’s parents immediately perked up and began clapping their hands with oohs and ahhs. Keith was just confused about who the hell Adam was.

“Is he just as amazing as you dreamed he’d be?” Mrs.S asked leaning forward with excitement.

Shiro nodded enthusiastically. “He’s super smart and funny.”

“Did you ask him out or what? We’ve heard you rant about him so many times that your mother began to plan for your wedding.”

Shiro looked horrified by this new piece of information and stared at his mother with newfound horror. “You what?!”

The woman just shrugged. “I’ve only come up with the colour scheme and that the ceremony will be at a secluded park. So did you ask him out or did you get too scared?”

Shiro huffed out a breath and slumped down next to Keith. The couch was only meant for three people so it was a tight squeeze but it helped that Mrs.S had most of her body on her husband. Despite that, Keith was squished and could barely move his arms but the others didn’t seem to mind.

“We only just properly met, I wanna do this right. I don’t even know if he likes guys.”

Keith thought back to his discussion with Lance all those months ago when Lance was ranting about his crush on that girl.

_“Does it have to be a girl?” Keith inquired, turning towards Lance._

_Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. They are who I like.”_

_Keith frowned, obviously not satisfied with the reasoning. “Did you decide that or someone else?”_

_Lance’s smile deterred as he thought for a moment._

“You like dudes?” Keith found himself asking.

Shiro seemed shocked by his question but it quickly melted into a soft smile. “Yeah, I’m gay.”

Keith nodded and felt a confusing surge of relief. “Okay, you may continue.” 

“So did you ask him out or what?! Takashi I’m dying here.” Mrs.S exclaimed.

That’s when Shiro turned sheepish and his face swelled with a bright flush as he avoided all eye contact. “Um, apparently he didn’t remember me from class and so when he asked my name I panicked and told him it was Shiro. A classmate overheard and told everyone to start calling me Shiro now.”

There was a pause and then the two supposed adults began cracking up in laughter. Keith tilted his head in confusion, “I don’t get it, Shiro is your name oh wait-” Then he realized and he began laughing hysterically. “I’m getting to you so much that you forgot your real name!”

Shiro scowled. “Now everyone is calling me Shiro! Even some teachers got into it!” He then wrapped Keith’s head in a headlock and gave him a harsh noogie. Keith flailed and struggled in his hold, letting out a combination of laughter and grunts as the two boys continued to wrestle. 

From behind them, there was cheering and then Mr. S shouting, “Keith, tickle your brother’s armpits!”

Without thinking of the word choice, Keith did as he was told and aimed for Shiro’s armpits to which the other boy responded by curling into himself and pushing Keith away. Keith cheered with triumph but when he looked at Shiro expecting a scowl, he was met with a bright smile.

“What?”

“You responded to dad calling me your brother.” His face was open and excited.

Keith started with disbelief. “No I didn’t.”

Mrs.S put a hand to his shoulder. “I believe the exact quote was ‘Keith, tickle your brother’s armpits!” She said in a deep voice to impersonate her husband.

Keith frowned. “But I didn't notice so it doesn’t count.”

Mr.S grinned wickedly. “Oh but it does. I said it for a reason y’know? My own little experiment and I think it turned out pretty great.”

Keith glared at him. “This is why you’re Shirogane three.”

Shiro, who was beginning to become Shirogane two if he continued grinning like that, laid his arm across Keith’s shoulders. “We can call ourselves the Brogane’s, it’s super catchy.”

“Never call us that.”

“Us what? The Brogane’s?”

“Stop.”

“Sure thing fellow Brogane.”

“We’re not even brothers!”

Shiro’s grin softened and there was a small shine of sadness in his eyes but Keith couldn’t figure out why. “We don’t have to be legally related to be brothers.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“It’s true,” Mr.S piped up, “My best friend and I are so close we’re practically brother’s. We even make jokes about it to this day.”

“But Shiro is not my best friend, Lance is.”

Shiro chuckled. “We’re not best friends, we’re family.”

Keith blinked blankly. “What did I just tell you?”

“And we don’t have to be legally a family to be one.”

Keith thought back to a past conversation with Rosa McClain, her warm motherly smile as she told him that he was a part of the family. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a McClain, they still treated him as a little brother or a son, and that’s what made him keep coming back even when Lance wasn’t around. 

He could have the same thing with the Shirogane’s, but for some reason that didn’t feel right. There was something missing but Keith couldn’t understand why the thought of the Shirogane’s being his pretend family was not enough.

“How about we finish the movie,” Mrs.S suggested. “I wanna see if she’ll actually kill him.”

They unpause the movie and find out that yes, she does kill him, and it was pretty gruesome too which made Shiro complain to his parents about letting Keith watch it. They waved him off and gave Keith a wink before turning towards the movie and ignoring their son.

Shiro’s arm was still around Keith’s shoulders and as the night got darker Keith leaned closer into the warm touch. He wondered what they looked like from an outsider's perspective, if they’d see three members of a family and an outcast kid or would they look like one complete unit? Like it was meant to be that way all along.

After the movie was finished, Keith decided he didn’t want to move, he was perfectly content curled into Shiro with his arm linked with Mrs.S. So when she suggested for him to stay the night, he found himself agreeing.

“It’s pretty late out anyways. I’ll just give Pluto a call to make sure it’s okay.”

Keith was relieved when she hung up the phone and gave him a bright smile. When he asked how they would ever agree to that, she said that Mrs.Davis answered and Keith automatically understood why. It reminded him that he hadn’t talked to her in a while and should do that as soon as he got back.

It was awkward as he got ready for sleep, he never slept over at their house before so he just awkwardly stood as they gathered a clean toothbrush and extra pajamas that fit too big on him. They prepared the guest room, white walls and blue bed sheets with a simple wooden dresser and nightstand. There were no blinds or curtains for the window so the lights from the streetlamps shone into the room in a warm glow.

The three of them watched as he climbed into the bed, it was cold and obviously unused but it was comfortable nonetheless. He settled in then looked at the three who were still just standing there, hovering over his bed like a bunch of creeps as they grinned down at him.

“Um, no offense but can you leave?”

They immediately perked up and started apologizing. Mr.S ruffled Keith’s hair, Shiro patted his cheek like a weirdo, and Mrs.S gave him a kiss on his forehead with a whisper of good night before they all left with a quiet shut of the door.

Keith shifted to his side, facing the window, the warm lights from the street shone brighter now that the room’s light was off. He could see it even with his eyes closed so he turned to the other side. 

The sheets smelled like laundry detergent, a soft floral scent that smelled just like the blankets on the couch and the pajamas he was wearing that used to belong to a younger Shiro.

Even with the comfort of the soft bed and the comforting smell, Keith still couldn’t fall asleep. Maybe it was mainly the fact he was sleeping in a foreign place and those stupid lights that he could still see even when he squeezed his eyes shut.

He groaned into the pillow and shifted his limbs around to find a more comfortable position but it didn’t work. He kept this up for another hour before ultimately giving up and sat up suddenly. He glared at the room that should be pitch black, but no! He can see very clearly thank you very much.

He got out from underneath the blankets quietly and slowly stood up from the bed, not leaving the room without giving the streetlamps two middle fingers out of pure spite. The door let out a high pitched creek and Keith silently cursed at it for possibly betraying him.

When he didn’t hear any noise from the other bedrooms in the hallway, he began creeping forward with his destination being the kitchen for some water. For a moment he thought he was going to get away without being caught but then the bathroom door flung open from across the hall, revealing Shiro in cat printed pajamas.

“Um,” Keith started pathetically, attempting to quickly think of an excuse.

The other boy frowned. “Why are you still up?”

“Why are you still up, huh?” Keith asked accusingly because if he crossed his arms and looked angry then maybe Shiro would forget to get an answer out of him.

Shiro gave him an unimpressed look as he leaned against the door frame. “Had to finish homework. Why are you not asleep?”

Keith deflated and let his arms hang lamely at his sides. “The streetlamps are bright.”

Shiro winced. “Oh, sorry about that, I totally forgot. You can sleep in my room instead.”

Sleep in his bed? As in share the bed with Shiro? Could they even fit, especially with how wide he was?

“How could we fit?”

Shiro seemed confused, tilting his head to the side but realization dawned on his face and he erupted with laughter. “I meant that I’d take the guest room instead but I’m down for sharing my bed if you want.”

Keith’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Wha- no! I didn’t realize- I just automatically assumed-”

“Calm down, Keith.” Shiro waved him off. “It’s okay, we can fit as long as you’re okay with snuggling. Come on.”

Before Keith could protest, Shiro dragged him into his room which was littered with posters of space movies and real life astronauts. There were photos attached to his mirror of him and his parents and what Keith guessed were his friends. There was a desk in the corner covered in textbooks, loose papers and highlighters. His bed sheets were crinkled and purple with a single cat plushie sitting by the pillow.

“Why do you have a cat plushie?”

“His name is Roger and protects me from the monsters.”

Keith gave him a look and Shiro just laughed with a shrug.

“Mom used to tell me ghost stories whenever I was being bad and I started having really bad nightmares. Dad gave me Roger to “protect me” and I stopped having nightmares.”

“But why Roger?”

“I named everything Roger back then. My pet plant, my other pet plant, the bird that used to poop on my window like it was its life mission and my pet rock.”

“I’m guessing you never actually had a real pet?”

Shiro shook his head as he closed the blinds completely shut, no light dared to peek through. “Nah, but I don’t really mind.”

Keith picked up Roger, his fake white fur was rough with stains of multiple colours, his glass eyes were scratched and his whiskers were unnaturally crinkled. “My dad had a pet lizard. There were a lot of them in the desert, always getting inside the house, but there was one that just kept coming back no matter how much dad tried to scare him off. Eventually he gave up, started collecting all the dead bugs around the house to feed him.”

“What was his name?” Shiro’s voice was a whisper, as if scared he’ll ruin the moment.

“Pom Pom.” Shiro let out a snort and Keith smiled, eyes still on the stuffed animal. “It was the name of the dog in a cartoon I used to watch. I wonder if he’s still alive. Still going to the house even if it’s empty.”

“Well I hope Pom Pom is doing great.”

Keith looked up and the older boy seemed to be glowing. He was probably happy that Keith just opened up to him. Sure it was about his pet lizard but that was still important.

“Me too.”

Shiro got into the bed first and with some hesitation Keith followed. It was uncomfortable at first, an eleven year old with an eighteen year old squished into a twin sized bed. They made it work though, Shiro on his side and Keith’s shoulder pressed against his chest.

Shiro turned off the lamp, letting the room fall into complete darkness. “Good night lil bro.”

Keith smiled. “Good night Brogane.”

Falling asleep was easy and when he woke up in the morning, he pretended not to hear Mr. and Mrs. S giggling and shushing each other along with the sounds of pictures being taken.

* * *

**June 5, 2096**

The walk to Pluto Orphanage was easy; simple walkways next to semi-quiet roads and frogs casually hopping to and fro. Many times Lance would stop to pick up the frogs and pet them, gently guiding them away from the road so they won’t get squished. He would pass by Mrs.Penny who sold peaches, attracting cars to park on the gravel to buy them.

Lance would say hello to the kind woman every time he walked past and sometimes his mama would give him money for a basket of the sweet fruit or peach jam once they run out. Today, she gave him money for a basket to share with Keith since it was such a hot day outside.

Mrs.Penny lit up once she saw him, her brown hair with silver streaks up in a messy bun and her tanned skin had a shine to it under the blazing sun. “Look it here, I haven’t seen ya’ll round here in a while little Lance.”

The woman was originally from Texas thus she had the accent to show for it. Lance had always been fascinated by her accent, especially when Keith mentioned his dad had one. 

“Hi Mrs.Penny! Keith’s been going to his parents house more often so we don’t hang out as much.” It was a sad thing, but Lance was genuinely happy for his best friend who seemed to have really warmed up to the Shirogane’s.

Mrs.Penny wiped her hands on her apron. “Good for him! Tell’em to stop by soon, I got a basket of peaches with his name on it.”

“I will. Speaking of, can I get one?”

“Sure thing sweet pea.” Then she handed over a basket of blushing peaches and Lance handed over the exact change plus a tip. She waved him off as he walked away, holding the peaches close to his chest so they won’t fall. He learned that the hard way.

He walked into the beige building, something he used to hesitate to do so long ago. Now he walks in without worry, the workers there only giving him a brief glance and a simple hello as he has now become a common face.

Mrs.Davis came out of a room and right when she saw him she gave him a bright smile. “Hello Lance, it’s nice to see you again. Are those Mrs.Penny’s peaches?”

Lance nodded. 

“I gotta go buy some for myself after work. Keith is in the lunch room so just go ahead.”

“Doesn’t he usually eat with you?”

“I’m very busy today, got a new sponsorship so I’ve been running around. Now go on, shoo.”

Lance thanked her, admiring how her bright, floral dress moved like waves as she gracefully walked away. The room was filled with kids of different ages and Lance said hello to a few who he’s talked to in the past.

Finding Keith was easy because he had a signature looming presence that Lance could easily spot, but this time he was surprised to see him accompanied by two other boys. As he got closer, he noticed the look of disdain on Keith’s face that showed up whenever he was annoyed. Not annoyed like when Lance looks over his shoulder whenever he’s reading, but annoyed like when they first started hanging out and Keith seemed like he just wanted to run away.

Lance paused and assessed the situation. Observing was Keith’s specialty, well kind of, he could still be extremely oblivious but he would observe his surroundings for an exit, for a way to get out of a conversation. So, Lance took in the two boys, one narrow and crooked and the other large and round. They didn’t look friendly. Not with the way they were hovering over Keith to make them seem bigger.

“Red!” Lance chimed with a large happy smile, his teeth blindingly bright. “I brought peaches!”

The two boys paused, but their gross smirks grew larger. Keith looked relieved, his annoyance immediately being washed away at the sight of Lance which was probably the best feeling in the world.

“Well, isn’t it the boy toy here to save the day.” The narrow kid teased.

“Leave him alone Ian.” Keith scolded, standing up and leaving his food tray. “Come on Lance, let's go eat outside.”

“Don’t think just because you got attention from a family it makes you any special Keith.” The narrow kid, Ian, went on as they walked away.

“Yeah! You’re not special!” The round kid repeated in a nasally voice.

“Just continue walking.” Keith mumbled, keeping close to Lance.

Lance nodded, hugging the peaches closer to him, trying his best to get the irritation of these two boy’s words out of his chest. But then, 

“They’re never gonna adopt you!”

Lance broke. He turned around to face the two bullies and gave them the deadliest glare that could rival Keith’s. “The Shirogane’s love Keith and Keith loves them! They are a family and you should stop being a jealous jerkface!”

Then he swiveled around, grabbed Keith’s arm and they quickly retreated past the doors, across the foyer and into the front yard where the Sun comforted them. 

Lance’s heart was beating, he never stood up to someone like that and it was scary. What if they come back for him and beat him up, that’s what bullies do in movies, right? The kids at his school were nice so he never had to tell one off. Should he prepare for a fight? Mama will be disappointed in him if that happens.

“Why’d you do that?”

Lance looked at Keith who seemed confused and worried. Will those two kids bully Keith more now that Lance told them off? Keith told him to just continue walking but he defied his word, so does that mean Keith is mad at him?

“I’m sorry.”

“What? Why are you sorry?”

“I didn’t continue walking and now they’re gonna bully you more.”

Keith chuckled which was a rather weird response to this situation. “It was cool that you stood up for me, so I don’t care you didn't listen to me. Thanks for the back up even though you didn’t need to do that.”

“You’re really not mad?” Relief settled his stomach from the overwhelming nerves.

“Of course I’m not. I’m actually impressed how you yelled at them. I taught you so well.” Keith let out a dramatic and dreamy sigh while fluttering his eyes. Lance laughed and slapped the boy's arm to make him stop.

“I think I’ve taught you how to be dramatic.” Lance wiggled his eyebrows.

Keith chuckled and glanced down at the basket of fresh peaches. “They look so good.”

Lance nodded and walked over to the grass to sit on it, Keith following him. “Mrs.Penny said she has a basket just for you.” He tossed a peach, the reddest one Lance could find out of the bunch and Keith easily caught it in one hand.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

They both bit into the peaches which were so juicy that they had to repeatedly wipe away the liquid from their chins. They were as sweet as candy just like they always were when they are from Mrs.Penny’s farm. It was a nice refreshing treat under the hot Sun despite how annoying it was when it stuck to their skin.

“Do they always bully you?” Lance finally asked.

Keith swallowed and wiped at the juice on his face. “They’ve been like that since I’ve first got here. At the beginning I got super angry and yelled at them but at one point I just got tired y’know? Ever since I’ve been hanging out with you they’ve got more rude because I am actually happy for once.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Not the bullying thing, I meant the happy when you met me.”

Keith laughed. “I know what you meant. Anyway, they got even more rude when I started spending time with the Shirogane’s and now that I’m barely at Pluto they're angry they can’t make fun of me as often.”

“Man, those guys are jerks.” Lance aggressively bit into his peach for emphasis. 

They stayed quiet as they finished their peaches and tossed the pits on the grass.

“Can I tell you somethin’?” Keith asked. He was starting to sweat so he kept on pushing his bangs back which now covered his whole forehead.

“Sure.”

“I’m gonna ask them to adopt me.”

Lance blinked in shock. “It’s about time!” Keith leaned back in shock. “Listen Keith, they’ve been trying to adopt you for almost a year now. They’re gonna be more excited than you!”

Keith huffed, his lips forming into a cute little pout. “How am I supposed to tell’em though? I can’t just go up to them and say “Adopt me!” like some weirdo.”

Lance scoffed. “Why not? Just barge in there and say,” He opened his arms wide, nearly colliding with Keith’s face. “Adopt me please and thank you!”

Keith frowned and lowered Lance’s arm away from his face. “Shouldn’t there be a segway before I do that?”

Lance shrugged. “Why make them wait any longer? I say to just go for it!”

“I’m not doing that.” Keith deadpanned.

Lance sat back on his hands and he could feel them stick to the green grass. He watched Keith continue to attempt pushing his hair from his face. The red bracelet Lance made him was still perfectly intact around his wrist and it made him smile. Keith’s hair was getting longer by the month, just how Lance planned, but what surprised him was that Keith was still growing it out.

“Why do you still have long hair?”

Keith turned to him like he grew a second head. “You’re the one who told me to grow it out.”

“Yeah but it obviously annoys you.”

Keith shrugged. “Only when I’m sweating, but I actually like it better this way.”

“Can I braid it?”

Keith shoved away the hand Lance was already reaching to touch the black locks. “Your fingers are all sticky.”

“Your hands are sticky too and you’re touching it!”

“Because they are my hands. Yours are different.” Keith countered.

“That makes no sense.”

Keith took his arm and the basket of fruit in his other hand. He walks closer to the building and sets the peaches safely on a bench. They continue along the side of the building, turning around the corner.

“Where are we going.” Lance asked.

“There’s a hose over here we can use.”

“Won’t going to the bathroom be easier?”

“You mean you want there to be a chance we’ll bump into Ian and Julien?”

Lance assumed that Ian and Julian were the bullies, so he stayed quiet as Keith led him around another corner. The hose was green and wrapped around a beige hose reel. Keith turned it on and they took turns washing their hands and holding the hose for one another.

Then Keith sprayed him with the water.

The war began.

They both laughed and squealed as they fought for the hose and sprayed each other with the cold water. They ran through the grass and wrestled to get the upper hand. Lance tugged the hose from Keith’s grip and pointed the hose upward while putting his thumb over it. The water sprayed in every direction then fell gently in individual water droplets.

“It’s like rain.” Lance said, head tilted back as he let them both be soaked by the man made rain. After a moment, Lance turned his head and saw Keith staring at him, wide eyed and mouth gaped, the water sending beautiful droplets down his skin and his hair had a blue sheen through it.

“What?” Lance asked.

Keith shook his head. “Nothing.” Then he grabbed the hose and sprayed it at Lance’s face.

They laid down under the sun to dry off, which didn’t take too long considering just how hot it was. Lance laughed when he saw how poofy Keith’s hair became and he agreed to let Lance braid it.

Lance always carried hair bands on him for occasions like these, so he sat behind Keith, his legs stretched out on either side of the boy. His hair was soft, with only a few tangles that he raked his fingers through. Taking his time, he let himself relax, redoing the braid even if it was good just so he could continue playing with Keith’s hair.

Eventually he had to tie it up since he couldn’t keep up the act for much longer. Keith’s bangs were out of his face and when he faced him, Lance pulled out some loose strands of hair so they could frame Keith’s face. Lance’s hands lingered.

“I like your long hair.” Lance whispered.

“I know. Thank you for today Dandelion boy.”

Lance shoved his face away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I read the chicken scene when Rachel pretend to be allergic, I laugh. At my own joke. Because that's who I am apparently.
> 
> Also, Lance's mental break down was me learning math late at night in the kitchen as my parents attempt to teach me while I cry.
> 
> What's your favourite part of this chapter? Comments help me know there are people who actually are enjoying this so it will be a great help :)


	4. The Prince and the Frog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kiss frogs, it's deadly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last part of Act 1 whooo!

**June 17, 2096**

Keith has been standing in front of the Shirogane’s house for about an hour now, just staring pathetically like a creepy stalker. Hopefully a neighbor wouldn’t call the cops because that would completely ruin the entirety of the two percent of his confidence of telling them the very thing that’s been keeping him on the front lawn.

The house was nice, perfect for a happy family in a simple suburban neighborhood with the standard flower garden and a little statue of a garden gnome. The picture perfect house with a caring family that maybe one day will be his.

One day he might be able to call this place his house. Maybe one day he'll be playing outside in the yard and Mrs. S will call him in for dinner and then he’ll go into his own room in his own bed and a window that hopefully will soon have some blinds.

A shadow passed by the window and Keith jumped, almost about to run away. 

“You can do this Keith.” He reassured himself under his breath. “It’s simple, just like what Lance said.”

Then with a newfound burst of confidence, Keith strode across the lawn and into the house that was unlocked. He paused in the archway to the kitchen and stared as the three people who he considered as his family stood about, not yet noticing his arrival.

Mrs. S was chopping bright red peppers, her raven hair pulled up with only a large hair clip, her face soft and open as she focused on her task. She hummed a soft tune under her breath, a Japanese song because she refused to listen to anything else. Mr. S was helping his wife by cutting chicken right next to her, shoulders touching despite having so much space but choosing not to use it. He had his glasses on, things he didn’t wear often because he didn’t like how round they were. Shiro was sitting on the kitchen table, textbooks and papers piled in front of him as he hunched over while writing. The books had photos of space on the covers, a place where Shiro inspired Keith to one day visit.

They just existed with each other, coexisting without having the need to constantly fill in space because they were so perfectly happy together. 

“Damn!” Shiro cried out, leaning back against the chair with a defeated groan.

“What is it Takashi?” Mrs. S asked before chiding her husband for cutting the chicken too big.

“I accidentally wrote down Shiro on my paper.”

The adults laughed. “Wow, Keith really got into your head.” Mrs. S teased.

“I wrote it in ink too!”

Mr. S wiped a fake tear from his cheek. “Man, I can’t wait to tell Keith.”

Here they were talking about Keith without knowing he was there with them. Here they were actually excited to talk to him again.

Keith steeled himself, clenched his fists tight at his sides and stood tall. Then he shouted with the most confidence he could muster,

“Adopt me!”

The trio paused, completely frozen before slowly turning their heads toward Keith with gaped expressions on their faces.

“Please and thank you!” He shouted with just as much confidence.

They stayed in silence and that’s when Keith’s confidence plummeted right back into two percent because they weren’t saying anything and that’s bad, right?

“Please say something because I’m very close to just running away.”

“You really mean it?” Mrs. S’ voice was quiet and wobbly and Keith stared in surprise when he saw the tears begin to fall on her pretty face.

Keith nodded.

Everything was a blur that had all rushed towards him with wide smiles which took over their whole faces and pulled him into a tight group hug. There were tears, many of them and Keith found himself crying as well, clinging to them like life support.

Mrs. S was sobbing so hard she had to consistently wipe her nose and he’s almost positive she got some snot on his shirt but he really did not care. Does this mean he has to call her mom now? He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet, it already took so long to realize he wanted to join the family and it will take longer for him to get used to it.

He thought about calling Mr. S dad, but that seemed to just hurt even more. Keith knew he wasn’t replacing his dad, but calling someone else that name, even someone like Mr. S, it didn’t feel right.

“You’re finally gonna be my little brother! Brogane’s for life!”

Shiro on the other hand, was easy to call his brother. Keith didn’t even have to hesitate. 

“This is so exciting!” Mrs. S beamed and her husband grabbed some tissues for her. “I can’t wait to finally be a family of four. Oh, honey, can you grab the photo album?”

The man nodded before reaching under his glasses to wipe away the tears and walked off into the living room.

“Photo album?” Keith inquired, why do they need that right now?

The woman nodded and reached into her back pocket for her phone. “We need to solidify this moment with a picture to add to the photo album.”

She set the phone on it’s side, resting up against the fruit bowl so it could face them. Mr. S came back with a black floral binder that could barely fit in all the photos shoved inside. He set it on the table before gathering them in a huddle.

They all wiped away each other’s tears and fixed their hair, but even doing that couldn’t avoid their red faces, the tear tracts and the giddy way of how they clung to each other. The timer on the phone was set and they gave it their widest smiles.

_Click._

They did it again and again, individually with Keith and in smaller groups, each time giving the camera their giddy smiles.

Mrs. S smiled at them fondly as she scrolled through. “I can’t wait to develop them so I can add them to our book.”

They moved to the living room, all sitting side by side as the heavy photo album was placed on Keith’s lap.

“We started this album when we got married.” Mr. S began to explain, opening the cover to reveal a wedding photo of them looking nineteen years younger and dressed up in wedding garments. “It's every year of our married life journey. See, here’s when Takashi was born.”

A photo of a tired Mrs. S in a hospital bed, a weak but genuine smile on her face as she holds her newborn baby in her arms.

They flipped multiple pages. “This was when he was six and brought him to his first vacation to Disneyland.” 

A photo of a six year old Shiro with premature teeth and a gap right at the front as he stood next to Mickey Mouse with his own head band that matched the mouse’s ears. 

They continued flipping through the pages and Keith smiled and laughed at them, teasing Shiro at every chance he got. He saw some of their other family members, grandparents and cousins that Keith has yet to meet. Then they got to the end of last year, precisely, December sixteenth. 

Keith was shocked to see a photo of himself, completely unaware of the photo being taken since he was too focused on the shark ornament in his hand to notice. Shiro was standing in front of him, his eyes just catching the camera and he grinned at it. The married couple were in the foreground, smiling cheekily at the camera as they snapped the picture. It felt like so long ago since they visited the Christmas market.

“I know that we haven’t adopted you yet and it may seem weird,” Mrs. S started. “But even if you didn’t want to be a part of our family officially, we knew you were still an important part of our lives even if you were gonna be in it for a short time.”

Keith stayed quiet, flipping through the pages and pausing every time he saw his face. There were only a few, him at Mr. S’ birthday party, Shiro’s birthday party, then at the park, and one of Keith and Shiro, fast asleep as they shared a bed.

“What do you think?” Shiro asked, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Keith took in a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you sweetheart.” Mrs. S pecked a kiss on his forehead.

Mr. S ruffled his hair. “Know that we love you so much, Keith.”

The young boy smiled softly, taking in all of the caring smiles pointed his way and the ever flowing need to hug them and never let go.

“I love you too.”

* * *

**July 11, 2096**

Lance hurried out of his house like he was running away from a monster which really wasn’t too far off from the truth. He wasn’t expecting bumping into Keith but Lance didn’t bat an eye and instead shoved him down the stairs earning a yelp from the boy. He was running and Keith had to catch up as they ran to the backyard.

Lance’s eyes were frantic and wide but a huge smile took over his face as he turned to his best friend who was looking at him with his usual expression when he’s questioning Lance’s sanity. He watched Keith as the boy took in the messy state Lance was in; mud was splattered up his legs, down his arms, all over his chest and streaked across his face.

“Um, do I want to ask?” Keith said hesitantly.

Lance nodded enthusiastically, his hair sticking to the mud on his forehead.

Keith let out a sigh and crossed his arms. “Why are you muddy and what are you holding?”

Lance presented his hands that were cupped to hold the very thing that made him sprint out of his house. “It’s a frog.”

Keith stared at his hands that were shoved in front of his face which had scrunched up. “Why?”

“Well I went frog hunting in the ditch,” He gestured with a nod of his head to the steep ditch at the very back of the yard, “because it’s the perfect day to do it, ya know?”

The sky was overcast, animals peeking from their hiding spots after the rainfall had finished giving the earth a glistening sheen, the green of plants increasing it’s saturation. The air smelled new and refreshing with the clear smell of dirt and earthworms.

A.K.A. the best time for frog hunting.

“So I caught this really cool frog that has the weirdest croak, just look.” He got real close to Keith so he could show him the reptile without it escaping. Lance opened his hands just enough for Keith to get a good look at the large, green frog which croaked. The sound was similar to a hyena screaming.

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise, his face contouring into a mixture of concern, fear and wonder. “Did a demon possess that thing?”

Lance laughed. “I know right? So I went inside to show mama and she completely freaked! She yelled at me for tracking mud in the house and when I showed her the frog she screamed. Then she put her hand into the boiling pot of water and started throwing potatoes at me! You know the Matrix right? Well it was like slow motion and I had to avoid getting hit by the potatoes!” He began to show Keith his exact movements as best as he could with a frog in his hands. He leaned back and waved around his arms with an exaggerated and drawn out _‘whoaaaa’_. 

Keith snorted. “Is that why you ran out of the house?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Come on, I gotta take this little guy back.”

They began walking toward the ditch and when they passed the chicken coup, Lance made sure to say hi to each chicken by name. He watched the frog keep still in his hold, most likely terrified and Lance wouldn’t be surprised if he found poop and pee on his hand.

“How would a princess ever want to kiss a frog?” He thought out loud.

“I don’t know, it’s pretty gross though. She probably got sick or something after but they didn’t add it to the fairy tale to not scare the children.”

Lance gave him a sly smirk and nudged him in the elbow. “So you wouldn’t kiss a frog? Even if it turned into a beautiful princess?”

“Especially if it turned into a beautiful princess.”

Lance blew a fly away from his face as they got close to the ditch. “Liar. Come on, kiss it.” He adjusted the frog so he was holding it by it’s stomach and began to shove it in Keith’s face.

Keith stepped back, turning his head as far as possible while trying to shove the frog away. “Ew, stop, get it away from me.”

Lance laughed, continuing to chase after Keith with the frog that started to let out it’s hyena croaks. They stumbled on the grass, mud attaching itself to Keith’s back with a loud smack. They wrestled and rolled around, getting even more soaked with mud, but the boys didn’t care as they continued to shove at each other, one attempting to escape and the other doing the exact opposite.

They eventually had to stop when Lance got a mouthful of mud and hastily spat it out, accidentally getting it on Keith’s face.

“Ew, you’re so gross.” Keith complained from underneath him, his whole face scrunched up and was about to wipe his face when he discovered his hands were completely covered with gunk. 

Lance giggled his apology. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get it on you. Here lemme help.” He wiped his hand on the only untouched spot on Keith’s shirt then cleaned his nose and cheek where Lance’s spit had landed.

Keith mumbled a small thanks and he looked absolutely ridiculous like a muddy dog.

Movement then caught his eye and he spotted the frog making it’s quick escape. Lance, however, was faster and caught it, the frog letting out a croak of protest. He scrambled off of Keith and landed right next to him, the mud letting out a loud squish under his weight. 

“I dare you to kiss it.”

Keith sat up, making a disgusted face at both the icky feeling of the mud on his back and what Lance suggested. “No way.”

“Is it cause you’re too chicken?”

“No,” Keith deadpanned. “I already told you I don’t want a princess.”

“It won’t be a princess.”

“And I don’t want a disease.”

“You’re just making excuses. Come one, you don’t want to make it sad, do you?” He lifted the frog to his own face and made a pout, his bottom lip jutting out like he always gave his papa when he wanted something.

Keith paused, his eyes narrow as he looked back and forth at Lance and the frog. Just like his papa, Keith couldn’t say no to Lance’s puppy face. “Fine.”

Lance cheered and held out the frog to Keith’s face. His face twisted when the frog let out another ear screeching croak and with a deep breath, Keith swiftly landed a peck on the frog’s head. He began to hastily wipe his lips clean which just got mud on his mouth.

“Poof!” Lance chanted and let go of the frog who quickly hopped away and into the ditch. “The frog has now turned into me, the handsome prince who is now your best friend!”

Keith spit out some mud.“Can I get a refund?” 

Lance slapped him which earned a small chuckle. “You should be thankful you have me, not everyone kisses a frog and gets as lucky.”

“Yeah, usually they get a disease.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Google it, it’s true.”

“Then why did you kiss it?”

Keith shrugged. “I can’t say no to you.”

Lance was taken aback from the confession. Keith said it so nonchalantly as if it was such common knowledge that was so obvious. “Why?” His voice was quieter than he expected.

Keith stood up, the movement slow as he got out of the mud and he looked down at himself to inspect his ruined clothes. “I dunno, maybe ‘cause of my competitiveness,” Keith held out a hand for Lance to grab, “and maybe ‘cause you’re just special.”

Lance slowly reached towards Keith where they clasped hands and the way up was much smoother than Keith’s solo mission to stand. They didn’t let go.

“Probably also ‘cause you’re annoying.” Keith chuckled and Lance just stared. “I mean, I agreed to hang out with you when we first met, then I went trick or treating with you, started tutoring you, kissed a frog-”

“Huh,” Lance muttered in amazement. “You really can’t say no.”

Keith poked his chest with a finger as a warning. “Don’t think you can take advantage of this ‘cause this won’t be a constant thing.”

Lance nodded numbly which earned a sweet smile from Keith. “Lets go wash up with the hose, I don’t wanna get potatoes thrown at me by your mom.”

They trudged through their way in the mud and didn’t let go of their hands until they were certain there was no risk from slipping. As they were washing up, spraying each other with cold water, Lance couldn’t stop thinking about what Keith had said.

He never realized until now how Keith never said no to him, maybe making fun of him and bickering with him, but never saying an outright no besides from when they first met of course. Keith had always gone along with what Lance said and would always follow him blindingly.

It made him feel giddy, but also confused. Giddy because Keith has never been a people person and still isn’t, but this meant that Keith trusts Lance. Confused because Keith trusts him maybe a little too much, like kissing a frog that’s covered with mucus just because Lance dared him to.

“You’re thinking too much about this.” Keith said because he can always just tell. “You’re my friend and I’m happy to have you in my life.”

“I’m happy you’re in my life too.”

“Good, then stop thinking too much, okay?”

Lance nodded and he realized that it was impossible for him to say no to Keith either. “Okay.”

The sky had opened up a bit since he had last looked at it. Sunlight peeked through the clouds, making the water droplets on the grass sparkle like magic.

* * *

**July 28, 2096**

Keith was adopted yesterday.

In the morning, Keith had to pack up the remains of his belongings in his bedroom at the Pluto Orphanage. Majority of his stuff had made its way to the Shirogane household over the months, leaving a few clothing items, books, and the box of memories under his bed. 

It was his last day staying at Pluto’s, some kids had already come over to him to say their goodbyes and congratulations even though he had talked very little to all of them. He thanked them anyways and wished them luck for the future.

Ian and Julian had even come by, but he was pretty certain they were forced to by their scowling faces and the way they kept looking behind them where a caretaker must have been. Keith didn’t mind though and grunted a goodbye, relieved when the two bullies scattered away.

When they were in court, waiting for the judge to declare them the right to adopt him. It took two hours, then the judge gave them a supportive smile. The official documents were signed and they all cheered, hugging each other with a few fallen tears mainly from Keith’s new parents.

They went out for waffles.

Today, he headed back to Pluto to pick up his belongings and he found Mrs. Davis in his room. She had been there at the court session and when he looked over the bodies that were hugging him, he caught eyes with her as she stood with her flowery dress and the sweetest smile he has ever seen.

Now, she was sitting on his old bed, neatly folded with clean sheets and the furniture looked newly dusted. She was wearing a different floral pink dress, shoes with a small heel and her honeycomb hair braided down her back. 

She patted the spot next to her and Keith sat down, the bed soft underneath him. The smell of peaches swam around her, a comforting sweetness that she has always carried around with her.

“I think I understand it now.” Her eyes of copper were soft as she looked down at him. “Being a mother who has to let her kid go into the world without her.”

“I’m going to visit.” He said because it felt like the best thing he could do.

“You better, I’m not too far away. It’s gonna be different eating alone at lunch.”

“We’ll have lunch together.”

Mrs. Davis giggled. “Good.” She ruffled his hair and Keith didn’t feel a need to scold her for it. “I’m proud of you Keith, you’ve gone a long way since I’ve met you.”

Keith didn’t know what else to say, so he hugged her as a way to bleed his gratitude onto her with his tight embrace.

Later, when he entered the Shirogane house, it felt different. It wasn’t a place to visit a couple times a week, but instead it was permanent. Entering his new room, he was relieved to find curtains on the window, but what caught his attention was the freshly painted walls, a new red duvet on the bed and a bookshelf filled with his books.

He set his last box down on the bed and noticed an unfamiliar addition to the pile. It was a book, a painting of a window sill with a jar of honey as the cover and the title, surrounded by yellow, The Secret Life of Bees. Curious, he opened the cover page to see someone has written on the blank page in black ink:

_“A gift to help you remember,  
love, Mrs. Davis”_

Keith smiled gently, already excited to read the book and to thank her as soon as he saw her next. He gently placed it on his nightstand for him to read later.

Later that night, they drove over to the river, the same one near the orphanage where Lance was at the year before. He had visited many times before but only with Lance as company. Now he not only had Lance’s company but the whole McClain family plus his own new family.

Lance’s siblings had all hugged him in congratulations and their parents squeezed him even harder before shoving food into his hands. Lance himself had lunged at him causing them both to stumble on the grass and the duo laughed as Mama McClain scolded them for getting their clothes dirty. As if that matters since they were going swimming anyways.

It was the first official time the Shirogane’s and McClains have met besides from phone calls so they were constantly aware of what Keith and Lance were up to. They quickly got along perfectly, maybe almost too perfect from how they started sharing embarrassing stories about the two best friends.

Keith and Lance ignored them and instead carried on with celebrating not only Keith getting officially adopted, but Lance’s birthday as well.

“How does it feel to be younger than me?” Lance teased as they walked through the shallow water, only getting wet to their mid thighs since they were still fully clothed.

“Three months isn’t that long.” Keith grinned as he kicked a rock like a soccer ball, only causing it to move an inch because of the water. “I think you’re getting your birthday in your head. Way too egotistical.”

Lance scoffed and elbowed him in the side. “How dare you. Birthdays are the perfect excuse to ask people for anything you want and they’ll do it. Observe-” He turned to where Veronica is setting up the picnic table. “Vee, can you pass me a frisbee?!”

She didn’t even look up. “No!”

“But it’s my birthday!”

“You’re twelve, it’s not that special!”

Lance deflated with annoyance and Keith chuckled, patting the boy comfortingly on the back.

“She’s got a point.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d agree, you don’t like your birthday. Are you gonna have a party now that you have a family?”

Keith shrugged and kicked at another rock, it didn’t go any further than the last one. “I don’t know, I told the Shirogane’s that if they do plan one that it has to be super small.”

“Why’d you do that? Call them the Shirogane’s when you are one?”

“Cause I’m still a Kogane.” Lance looked surprised by this. “I wanted to keep my name, t’keep something from my past, y’know?”

“Huh.” Was Lance’s only response.

Keith picked up the rock on the sandy floor and tossed it, the rock skipping five times leaving rings on the water’s surface. He has really improved since the first time he’s skipped rocks.

Lance huffed and grabbed his own rock, tongue sticking out as he concentrated. He tossed it.

“...wow, three skips. You’ve gotten better at this.”

“I hate you.” Then Lance pushed Keith into the water.

The water was cold, soaking his clothes but Keith could only laugh as he lunged at Lance to get revenge. They rolled in the water, rocks digging uncomfortably into his back but his only focus was to get water in Lance’s face.

“Yo, quit flirting, the barbecue is done.”

The boys looked up to see Marco smirking down at them and both of their faces began to flush pink. They scurried out the water, heads focused on their feet as they attempted to squeeze out the water from their clothing. Marco just laughed and waltzed away.

They took up two picnic tables, both pushed beside one another with a buffet of food lined up ready to be devoured. The food was delicious. A mixture of Mama McClain’s Cuban dishes, barbecued steak and lamb, and Mrs. S’s Japanese desserts of dorayaki and goma dango.

Lance sat beside him, putting all the mushrooms and carrots onto Keith’s plate. Keith happily took them and gave Lance his onions and tomatoes in return. Racheal sat on his other side, making attempts to steal his food which resulted in a fork war. Keith won of course and managed to steal some of her ropa veija with a cheer and applause from the rest of the McClain siblings who were watching.

The sun was finally starting to find its way into the comfort behind the horizon and they all spent their time after dinner swimming and playing games together, which was proven a bit difficult because there were so many of us and of an odd number which meant uneven teams. 

Keith had accidentally hit the volleyball too hard and it flung over everyone’s heads. The boy winced and he watched Mr. S run through the water to get the ball. He brought it over to the net that they have set up and handed it over to Keith underneath the net.

“Thanks Mr. S.” Keith said and then paused as the man smiled kindly at him. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, kiddo. You can continue calling me that for as long as you want.”

Damn him and being so kind and considerate. Keith won’t have it.

“I’m gonna say it.”

“You don’t have to.” The man said quickly after.

“Too bad...thank you....pops.” It felt weird saying it, almost cringe worthy, but the man beamed and that made it easier to bear. They had a conversation the day before officially adopting Keith about what he was comfortable with calling them. 

“You don’t have to call me dad.” Mr. S had said. “In fact I would rather if you didn’t. I don’t want to steal your real dad’s name.”

It was between pops or father and Keith would much rather not like to sound British. No offense to the British of course, but just imagine Keith saying something so formal like; “Can you pass the tea father?” Or “No thank you father, I’ve already had my share of crumpets.”

They have also decided for Keith to refer to Mrs. S as mum. He didn’t have a relationship with his mom like what he had with his dad, but he always referred to her as mom in his head. So, he changed one letter and he feels better even though he technically still sounds British but just modern.

“Aww that’s so cute!” Said a woman’s voice and Keith immediately felt extremely embarrassed, completely forgetting about their audience. He wasn’t sure exactly who said it, nor did he care and instead ignored everyone’s eyes and started the games before anyone was prepared.

It took awhile for the red in his face to die down.

The sky bathed itself in orange and yellow when they had cake. It was completely covered in chocolate icing which Keith couldn’t complain about because he loved icing. Lance took longer than necessary when they finished singing to blow out the candles. He probably took a full thirty seconds to think about a wish.

“Just blow them out already!” Keith scolded, making the adults all laugh.

Lance held up a finger to silence him, eyes still closed and Keith glared at the finger. It took another twenty seconds before Lance finally blew out the candle and everyone clapped.

“Do you always take that long?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded, as if proud of himself for taking a century to blow out some stupid candles. “It’s very important to take the time to come up with the best wish.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “They never come true.”

“That is false!” Lance pointed at him and Keith pushed the threatening finger away. “You’re just a grump.”

Mama McClain set the first piece of cake in front of Lance and Keith was pleased to see it was something chocolaty. “Can I have your frosting?”

“Sure.” Then Lance scooped the majority of the sweet icing off and placed it onto Keith’s plate.

“So what did you wish for?” Keith asked as he took a bite of the cake. It was definitely chocolate with a hint of coffee flavouring.

Lance swallowed the large chunk of cake that he shoved into his mouth. “Can’t tell you or it’s not gonna come true.”

“That’s also fake.”

Lance stabbed him with his fork. “How can you eat so much of that?” His face was scrunched up with disgust as Keith shoveled a forkful of royal icing in his mouth. It tasted purely of sugar with a hint of cocoa just like how he liked it.

“It’s good.” He said with the food still in his mouth.

Lance made a gagging face but continued to eat his piece of cake. They went back in for seconds and Lance gave Keith his icing but this time without complaints about Keith’s weird food habits.

By the time they finished and the adults drank all the coffee, the moon was high in the sky, full and bright as it smiled down at them. There were twinkles of yellow lights flying through the trees and grass, little fireflies lighting up Earth’s surface like magical fairy dust. The air had cooled down a bit and they started the fire pit for warmth and light since the only light source they had was a few scattered lamps that the city forgot about so the light bulbs were close to dying.

They sat around the campfire, the fire cracking with small bursts of power before it settled again then repeated. He was squashed between Shiro and Lance on the bench, both their sides touching him since the bench was only so big. 

Shiro kept nudging him to gain Keith’s attention then proceeded to share little stories of each constellation in sight through the mass of trees. Lance had noticed and began to lean into Keith to better hear the Greek and roman myths that connect each constellation.

Keith listened intently all the while a little too focused on the way he could feel Lance’s breath because of how close he was and Keith kept on having to focus back on Shiro.

“Hey Shiro.” Luis called. Keith also was able to get the whole McClain family to call Takashi Shiro instead which led to a funny moment of Shiro giving Keith the most fed-up look he’s ever given him. “Speak up, I wanna hear about this Orpheus dude.”

So they all listened as Shiro talked about the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice among other tales. Shiro made a show of it, expressing widely with his arms as he portrayed the movements and exaggerated his voice, voicing rising a pitch every time he imitated a female.

Everybody was enraptured with his storytelling, two families bonding over something they all enjoyed surrounding a warm flame that sung to them. It was odd, how Keith started off only a year ago with no one, then he met Lance and his entire world had opened up.

He made a best friend, started opening up to Mrs. Davis after years of ignoring her, made friends with a family because he took so much time away from them with Lance, and spent time with a family that actually wanted him and soon adopted him.

He was adopted. With a brother and parents who all loved him and who he loved back.

Then his best friend, who forced Keith out of his shell and got him to actually smile and laugh. Keith liked to think he helped Lance in a way as well. The way Lance smiled at him and curled into his side made him think yes, yes he did.

Eventually, Shiro ran out of myths to tell, having forgotten many of them. So the conversation has drifted off to something else and Lance tapped his arm.

“Follow me.” He whispered into his ear and Keith found himself nodding without question.

They stood up and immediately Mama McClain spoke up. “Where are you going?”

“I’m showing Keith the cliff.” Lance said, grabbing Keith’s hand and dragging him away. Keith met eyes with his mum, who gave him a knowing smirk and a quick wink that sent him very confused.

“Okay but bring a flashlight. And if you jump, be careful.”

“Got it ma.”

Lance grabbed a flashlight and then led them further into the woods and climbed up the cliff. The flashlight let out a steady stream of gold that gave them a wide view of where they were going. There were small imperfections in the ground and rocks that they had to avoid in order to get up there.

Lance looked back at him with an excited grin. “A roof can’t top the view off this cliff.”

Keith believed him. The view was incredible, with the water below reflecting the moon and stars, the light from the campfire sharing a perfect view of their families down below, their laughter sending a pleasant muffled echo.

The night sky seemed so much closer than on the rooftops of their houses or even Pluto’s.

“You said you trust me, yeah?” Lance asked with a giddy smile.

Keith quirked his head to the side. “Of course.”

“Let’s take that to the test.” He was practically vibrating, his whole body moving without him realizing it. His feet tapping, his knees bending, his shoulders raised and his hands squeezing Keith’s.

“By doing what?” Keith asked, almost nervous and yet very excited because Lance tends to emote his feelings onto Keith like that.

Lance took a step closer and he dropped his voice. “Jump off the cliff.”

It was not at all what Keith was expecting, though he wasn’t exactly sure what he assumed it was. He plunged the confusing bit of disappointment down where he couldn't feel it and let himself be excited about jumping off a cliff for the first time.

“Okay.”

Keith was pleased to see Lance’s smile somehow grow even bigger and he was blinded by the sight.

“In a count of three we’ll jump together. Make sure you say cowabunga as well.”

Keith nodded and they both turned to face the edge of the cliff with their hands firm in each other’s grasp. Lance bounced in preparation beside him and Keith’s smile widened all goofy because of it.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

They ran and lept into the air.

“Cowabunga!”

It was the first time Keith knew what it truly felt to fly.  
.  
.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, please don't kiss a frog, they carry diseases


	5. The Garrison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of Garrison Arc
> 
> Meeting Hunk and James

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc number two at the Garrison!!! This is very exciting!  
> Things are gonna be a little different with the chapters, so now each chapter in the Garrison Arc will be a full year. This is their freshman year aka the calm before the storm...

**September 5, 2098 [two years later, freshmen]**

Stepping into the Galaxy Garrison was a dream that came to life. The building was settled in the middle of nowhere, far into the deserts of Arizona where it was safe to fly planes and launch spaceships. The building itself was impressive, tall and so wide that there must be so many secret rooms and passageways for top secret alien stuff.

Some day, Keith would be able to enter those secret passageways, but for now, he was perfectly happy to have finally entered the very school that him and Lance have worked so hard to get accepted by.

Currently Keith, Lance and what was probably eighty other fourteen year olds were all standing in a massive room filled with trophies and medals on the wall, photographs of pilots, engineers and other supposed important people dressed in grey uniforms, spaceships and fighter jets taken off to the sky. A large American flag hung from the wall they were facing, right above the even larger sign that read The Galaxy Garrison right behind the commanding officers who were giving them a welcome speech.

They were dressed in the same grey uniforms with gold stripes on their shoulders that probably have a meaning to them judging how some had three stripes while others had only two or one. The man who was giving the speech had four of those stripes, dark skin and cold eyes, though what really stood out was his left eye that seemed to be permanently closed shut. He remembered the stories Shiro would tell about the one eyed man and Keith immediately felt hate towards him. 

“Being here is a privilege.” Iverson spoke in a gravelly voice. “Not everyone is able to make it this far, but don’t let that get into your small child brains. If you don’t work hard enough, you will fail. This is not a school for the weak or for people who thought it was just cool to learn how to fly. If these cases relate to you, it is better if you just leave.” His one eye narrowed dangerously. “We don’t accept scoundrels here.”

Several kids seemed to shiver under the man’s gaze and Keith could already tell that he was going to be a pain in his side. He glanced over to Lance who was standing up straight beside him with a large giddy smile on his face. Keith had never seen him so focused before, attention on the entire welcome speech that even Keith was starting to get bored of. Lance was excited and that was obvious from how he couldn’t stop ranting on the whole ride over here and was only able to shut up when the commanders demanded silence.

“Thank you Commander Iverson.” An older woman said and took his place at the podium. “I am Admiral Sanda and I hope that all of you are brave enough to tackle the importance of preparing for your future. I am looking forward to watching you all grow as strong assets to our team.”

The woman had four gold stripes on her uniform and by the way the other men and women looked at her, she commanded respect from all her colleagues. She gave the crowd of new students a smile. “On your way out you’ll be given your uniforms and your dorm information. Welcome to the Galaxy Garrison.”

Then she turned and left, leaving her colleagues to direct the large mass of students. 

Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and they weaved through the crowd to get to the tables where they were handing out the uniforms. At the table was a girl who looked only a few years older than them wearing the very same uniform she was handing out. It seemed that she was forced to volunteer by the bored expression on her face as they approached.

“Names?” She asked.

“Lance McClain and Keith Kogane.” Lance recited cheerfully, a complete contrast to the girl’s mood. 

She flipped through the papers on her clipboard to find their names and information like their sizes and dorm information. The two uniforms were smacked down on the table and she wrote down the dorm numbers on post-it-notes.

“Next!”

They grabbed their stuff and headed into the hallway where other excited students mingled while older students glared at them as they tried to get past them.

Lance was quick to take off his green jacket that has become his new article of clothing that he wore almost everyday. He replaced it with the orange uniform and hastily buttoned it up, then held his arms out to inspect himself.

“Yeah, orange is definitely not my colour.” He said with a frown.

Keith couldn’t help but disagree but had to stop himself from saying something stupid like: “you look beautiful in everything”. 

They had both gotten taller from the first time they met, a good two inches of height though Lance is still just a little bit taller than him much to his pleasure and to Keith’s annoyance. Their faces thinned out just a little and acne was starting to show it’s irritating face that sent Lance into a panicked frenzy. The problem was that even with ache and a voice that sometimes cracks, Lance still looked pretty.

“You look fine.” Keith lied. “Where’s your dorm?”

Lance squinted at the post-it-note in his hand. “C51. You?”

Keith couldn’t help the disappointment in his voice when he read his. “D23”

Lance pouted. “Maybe we’re still close.”

Keith nodded though he couldn’t settle down the fact that after so long of working together to get to where they were now, they couldn’t room together. They followed the signs that pointed to the dorm halls, and with some confusion and asking an older student they were able to find their way to C hall. 

The hallway was nothing special, just grey walls and doors on both sides. C51 was located at the end of the hallway where it started to branch off into a T. The door slid open when Lance plugged in the pass code that’s also written on the post-it-note and they found the room empty with only two beds pushed at either side of the walls and nightstands at their sides.

There were already boxes at the foots of the beds and with some digging around they realized Lance’s stuff was on the left side of the room and his roommate’s is on the right.

“Quick, help me put my stuff on the right.” Lance said, already moving his roommate’s stuff to the other side.”

Keith scowled. “What are you doing? He could walk in and see you touching his stuff!”

“He will if you don’t help me.” Lance shoved at another box.

Keith huffed and helped him move the boxes. “Why was that even necessary?”

Lance opened his closet that was only filled with hangers then hung his green jacket and smiled. “The vent is closer to the right side and you know how sweaty I can get at night. Stupid air conditioner and saving money at night.” Lance closed the closet doors. “Let’s go find your room.”

All they had to do was turn left and walk past ten doors before they got to his room. 

“Cool, this means we’re super close.” Lance grinned and Keith let out a sigh of relief.

Keith punched in the code and the doors slid to reveal a boy their age already laying on a bed. The boy looked up, an awkward angle that caused a triple chin to form, then rested his head and closed his eyes. He was wearing a shaggy shirt and jeans that were three sizes too big and his blond hair stood up at odd angles.

The two boys walked in and Keith set his stuff on his bed, the right side if you were wondering, and he couldn’t help but cringe when Lance started talking to the other boy. One rule that Lance never got a hold of was to never talk to someone who clearly doesn’t want to talk back.

“Hey, I’m Lance and this is Keith who is your roommate. What’s your name?”

The boy opened one brown eye to glare at Lance. “Look dude, I just wanna sleep, so don’t talk to me, like, ever.”

Lance looked like he wanted to push further, but Keith stopped him by shrugging and saying. “Sure thing, just don’t go to my side of the room and I won’t go into yours.”

The boy nodded and closed his eye. Keith had to drag Lance out of the room before he started giving the boy a lecture about manners.

“Don’t worry about him, let’s go see Shiro.”

Lance huffed but didn’t protest and they made their way into the apartment section of the building. Shiro had already given him detailed instructions of how to get to his apartment so it only took one wrong turn to correct and they found it.

Three flights up and the hallway was much nicer than their own with pristine white walls, fancy lamps and abstract paintings.

They knocked on the door which quickly opened to reveal a man with tanned skin, brown hair and brown eyes framed with grey glasses. He wore a grey Garrison uniform with one gold stripe and he immediately smiled when he saw us.

“Hey kiddos, come on in.”

“Hey Adam,” Keith greeted as he walked into the apartment that the man shared with Shiro.

It was a nice apartment, large with a long couch, T.V., a spacious kitchen, two bedrooms and Keith was pretty sure that only one was in use, and photos were hung on the wall. Some were of him and his parents and others were unfamiliar people with dark skin who looked just like Adam.

“Cool place. It’s a million times better than our dorms.” Lance said as he looked around.

Adam chuckled. “Yeah, I do not miss those things. I’ve got dinner going so you don’t have to eat that gross cafeteria stuff yet.”

The two boys grinned and excitedly made their way to the kitchen where two pots were cooking something that smelled delicious with a lot of spices.

Keith turned to Adam who began setting the table. “Shiro didn’t cook anything did he?”

Adam’s eyes widened. “Gosh no, not after March seventeenth.”

They all shivered simultaneously with the memory. To explain, March seventeenth is the date when Adam came to meet the family for the first time. Shiro was dating him for a year and decided to bring him home for March break. It was a great time filled with laughter from both the Shirogane’s and the McClains making fun of Shiro much to his annoyance. 

The problem was that Shiro wanted to make dinner to impress his boyfriend and no one was smart enough to watch over him. That’s when the fire alarms went off. They had to resort to eating rice with nothing else because Shiro burnt everything they could’ve used.

“Where is he anyways?” Keith asked and hit Lance’s arm when he tried to dip his finger in the sauce.

Adam handed Lance a spoon. “He’s on a phone call in the bedroom.”

Right on cue, Shiro walked out of the bedroom with his phone still up to his ear and an irritated expression on his face. He wore his uniform that matched Adam’s but his was unbuttoned so you could see his white undershirt. He had gotten more fit since he graduated from all the training he had to do, so his arms were slightly bigger, his chest filled out and his jaw got more defined. Soon he was going to look like a man.

“Yes, mom, Keith is okay. No I haven’t seen him yet but they’re doing a speech- he’ll be fine…” Shiro spotted Keith and his eyes lit up. “Never mind he’s right here!” Suddenly his face turned right back to annoyed. “He’s not hurt. Keith are you hurt?”

Keith shook his head. 

“He said no...yeah sure, bye mom.” Shiro held out the orange phone to Keith who took it. 

“Hey mum.”

“Keith!” Her voice was weirdly muffled coming through the phone, but he could tell how stressed she’s been. “How was your day? Did anything bad happen?”

Keith rolled his eyes and watched as Lance took another spoonful of a yellow sauce that smelled like curry. “It was good, kinda boring though.”

“Ugh, it’s like pulling straws with you. Anything specific?”

Keith thought for a moment. “Uhh, Shiro was right when he talked about Iverson’s weird eye.”

His mum sighed through the phone. “Call me tomorrow when you’ve got more to say. Are you eating dinner with Shiro and Adam?”

Keith nodded even though the action was useless. “Yeah and Lance is here too.”

“Let me talk to him!”

Keith chuckled. “Okay. Bye, love you.”

“Love you too sweetheart.”

Then he passed the phone to Lance who had perked up when his name was mentioned. “Hi Mrs. Shirogane!....No, but Keith met his roommate who was totally weird. Imagine Keith but when we first met him. Yeah! He was that bad!”

Keith scowled while Lance winked at him and the two older men laughed.

Lance and Keith’s mum talked for a little longer before he gave the phone to Adam who talked about what they were having for dinner. Curry with rice and ice cream for dessert. When he hung up, they settled into the dinner table and began dinner.

It had been a while since Keith had seen Shiro, his visits to home being sporadic since he’s gotten his full time job at the Garrison as a fighter pilot. Now that Keith was going to live here as well, they could spend way more time together and he could spend time with Adam too.

Then there’s Lance, who is no longer several neighbourhoods away and is only a few doors down. They will also finally go to school together and have the same classes just like how they’ve been excitedly ranting about for two years now.

Their dream was finally starting to come true.

* * *

**November 3, 2098**

Lance had just gotten to his dorm after class, having finished a math test that could’ve gone much better. He slumped onto his bed face first and let out a loud groan of despair. He hadn’t even been to the Garrison for long and it’s already kicking his butt with constant homework, assignments and tests that made him want to scream at his teachers in Spanish for causing so much stress.

“Rough day buddy?”

Then there is Hunk. Oh sweet, lovely Hunk who has been a saint ever since he’s met him. If Keith couldn’t have been his roommate, then Lance was glad he got Hunk instead.

Lance groaned again, just because he felt like it. “I hate math.”

“Really? I find it pretty fascinating.” 

Okay, so there was one flaw about Hunk; he loves math and science and is actually really good at both of them. Which should be a good thing since Lance could study off of him, but the reason it’s so bad is because of how stupid Lance feels when Hunk starts rambling about engines and other smart people stuff. 

Lance turned his face to see the other boy who was sitting on his own bed with a textbook on his lap. He was a wide dude with dark skin and darker hair and his eyes were always so warm and nurturing. He was in his Garrison uniform which looked way better on him than on Lance, and he wore an orange bandana around his head.

When Lance asked about the bandanna, Hunk responded with a shrug, “I just think it looks cool”, and how could Lance not agree?

Hunk was from Samoa and they were both able to bond about being from an island and being bilingual. It was nice talking to him despite how anxious he gets sometimes.

“Well I’m not you and math sucks.”

Hunk frowned. “Maybe no one has explained it in a way that fits the way you learn.”

Lance huffed. “Keith says the same thing. So far he’s been the only reason I didn’t fail math in grade school.”

“I can try teaching you as well. You can help me with piloting.”

Lance beamed and quickly sat up. He has already read through every textbook about planes and flight that they have given them even though he didn’t have too. The class was still on unit one but Lance couldn’t help himself but read ahead and it doesn’t hurt to get brownie points when the teachers ask a question that no one should know yet.

“I’d love to. Can we start now?”

“Sure.” Then Hunk closed his textbook and Lance noticed it was a cooking book.

“You read cooking books?”

Hunk looked down at the book as if to confirm that, yes, he was reading a cooking book. “It’s a hobby of mine. It helps me calm down and I just enjoy doing it.”

“Huh, cool.”

They get out their math and flip right to the stupid algebra unit. Seriously, who starts out the school year with algebra?! His math teacher apparently.

Just as they were about to begin someone knocked on their door. Lance leaped up from his spot beside Hunk on his bed and smiled wide when he saw Keith on the other side, his long hair reached his shoulders and his fringe hung over his eyes, which was a cute look whenever he used it to shield away his face.

He wore the ugly orange uniform and somehow it looked good on him even though someone with a pink undertone shouldn’t look good in it. Unlike Lance, he had very minimal ache, only the occasional zit while Lance had several all the time with red bumps on the side of his face. It was totally not fair with how perfect Keith looked.

“Hey mullet.” Lance greeted with his new nickname that he came up with a few months ago.

Keith scowled at the nickname. “Don’t call me that. Are you busy? I wanna steal some pudding before dinner starts and they’re all gone.”

Lance beamed in excitement before he deflated. “Sorry, I’m studying with Hunk. You can join us if you want after you get the pudding.”

Keith frowned and his eyes furrowed in thought. He looked behind Lance to where Hunk was still sitting on the bed and watching the exchange.

“Hey Keith.” Hunk waved with a bright smile. “Feel free to join. I’m terrible with all things piloting so I can get as much help as I can get.”

Lance watched as Keith’s face contorted into many conflicting emotions. Then Keith took a cautious step back. “Uh, sorry. I promised Shiro I would help him with something later.”

“Oh okay.” Lance smiled but he could notice how uncomfortable Keith was. Him and Hunk met after the first day of school when Lance introduced them to each other. Keith had been quiet, never one to open up to people he’s never met before which was expected. Hunk attempted conversation but it fell flat and Lance had to encourage him later that day alone that it wasn’t his fault.

“I’m gonna go.” Then Keith ducked his head, letting his fringe curtain over his eyes and walked away.

“Can you get me a butterscotch pudding?” Lance asked after him.

“No!”

Lance knew better than to believe him. “Thank you!”

Then Keith turned the corner and Lance shut the door behind him.

Hunk laughed. “He’s not gonna get you that pudding.”

Lance winked. “That you will be wrong about my friend.”

Later at dinner, Keith set a butterscotch pudding in front of Lance and a chocolate fudge for himself. Lance gloated about it to Hunk.

* * *

**March 15, 2099**

The simulation tests were easy, but that’s what you get when you’re a freshman. Keith couldn’t complain too much because he’s waited for months to get rid of those stupid textbooks and finally fly something even though it’s just a simulation.

At first, Keith hung back and watched the other kids attempt at flying the sim which was kinda boring since it looked like all they were doing was playing a video game. Lance did well on them, surpassing a few of the kids with a good score which caused him to smile broadly at his achievement. 

Eventually, Iverson forced him to try and Keith took a moment to make himself as comfortable as possible in the plastic seat with the two controls. The simulation started and it was, like he said before, easy. He passed each goal and by the time he got to level five, his classmates and the teachers began to pay close attention. 

He moved the controls with fast reflexes, dodging asteroids, space junk and getting close to Jupiter's atmosphere without getting sucked in. Level six was more difficult and until a classmate said it out loud, he didn’t realize none of them had gotten this far before yet. 

Keith continued, dodging, soaring, scraping through Juniper’s asteroid belt but it was soon when Keith suddenly felt a shift in the plane, like it was unbalanced and before Keith knew it, he was crashing.

A large flashing _‘FAIL’_ was on the screen and the kids around him all sighed in disappointment. 

Keith turned to see Lance giving him a wide proud smile and Keith smiled back until Iverson stepped in front of him, sending down a hard glare.

“Your ship’s wing got hit because you weren’t paying enough attention. Don’t let people cheering for you distract you.”

Keith frowned and stood up to glare back up at the man, staring straight into his one good eye. “I didn’t let anything hit the ship, I would’ve felt the vibration from the controls, sir.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You got hit, cadet, deal with the consequences.” Then he turned and walked away, kids separating as he walked by and gave them all a dismissal.

Keith glared after him. He knew what happened, he was completely aware of his surroundings and the ship randomly shifted weight without Keith wanting it to. 

A hand settled on his shoulder and Keith flinched before looking over to Lance who was also glaring at where Iverson was talking to a general he didn’t recognize.

“Don’t worry about him. You’ll get it next time.”

There was a snort and they turned to face a kid from their class who was giving them a sneer smirk that reminded Keith of Ian and Juilan. The boy had a narrow face, brown hair that was shaped in the weirdest hairstyle and steel eyes that shone with narcissism. 

“Who are you?” Keith asked and that automatically made the boy falter at the brash question.

The boy frowned. “James Griffin. Top of the class too, so you better know who I am.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Top of the class after only five months of freshman year? Yeah cause that is super impressive.”

That seemed to anger the boy much to Keith’s delight, his face growing a shade of red like in those cartoons. “You’re just jealous because I’m a better pilot than you.”

“He literally passed all of our scores a second ago.” Lance budded in and a few students around them snickered.

Jamie- or is it Jack? Keith couldn’t remember. Wasn’t his last name some type of animal? Griffith maybe? Anyways, he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists like the scary fourteen year old that he’s trying to be.

“You’re only good because you’re Takashi Shirogane’s brother. It’s probably the only reason you got in in the first place. We all know that you are an orphan.”

Keith’s stomach sank. How was it possible for someone to know about him being an orphan? He’s never met this kid in his life and it’s not like he told everyone about it. He barely even told people his name so how could anyone find out?

“Oh, you wanna know how I know?” He went on with that skeezy little smirk back on his face. “I’m neighbours with the family that adopted Ian. Assuming by your expression you remember him.”

“Ian got adopted?” Lance asked with genuine surprise and Keith burst out laughing.

The boy’s face scrunched up. “You orphans are getting in the way.”

Keith calmed down, wiping the tears from his eyes and tried to settle down the large smile on his face. “Aren’t you offending Ian by saying this?”

He shrugged. “Never said he was my friend.”

Keith considered what he said with a hum. “Hm, you really are a jerkface aren’t you?”

He started to walk away, feeling better because he got the upper hand. Lance followed behind him. 

“At least I have a mom who didn’t abandon me.”

Keith stopped in his tracks, his face wiped away from any amusement he had before. The anger from earlier began to rise in his stomach, an anger that he hasn’t felt in a long time.

“I have a mum.” He said because it was true and he loved her.

“Not a real one. Face it Kogane, you will forever not have a real family.”

Okay, so Keith didn’t mean to punch him. It was mostly just a reflex of pent up emotion that he hasn’t let out in two years and he happened to let it out on Jamie. Jake. Griffith. Whatever. Keith almost didn’t regret punching him in the face because of the expression he gave him, but the only reason he almost regrets it instead of not at all regretting it is because of the disappointed look Shiro was giving him right now.

Keith was sitting in front of Commander Iverson’s office with Shiro standing in front of him with his arms crossed like a disappointed mother to her child at the principal’s office. Keith’s knuckles hurt, they were bruised and cracked with dried specks of blood that came from both him and Jason. Jackson. John’s nose.

“Why did you punch James Griffin?”

Oh, so that’s what his name was. Dammit, so close.

Keith winced. “Sorry.”

“You never punched someone before.”

Keith looked down at his bloodied hands. “Actually I did, remember Ian?.” He briefly looked up to see Shiro’s surprised expression and hastily tried to redeem himself. “Only three times, two times to Ian and once to Juilan. Why do you think Mrs. Wender hated me so much? It wasn’t just because I kept trying to run away.” He looked back down at his hands and in a quiet voice said; “The only reason she stopped me was because she didn’t want to get in trouble with authorities.”

“Mrs. Davis cared.”

Crap. He got him there. The thought of his previous teacher made him smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Shiro sighed. It was the tired sigh that meant Keith was about to get lectured. The older boy sat next to him and even when sitting his brother towered over him.

“What did he say?”

Keith huffed out a breath. “Mean stuff about me being an orphan.”

Shiro tilted his head in surprise. “He knows about that?”

Keith shrugged. “Apparently he knows Ian. By the way, Ian is adopted now.”

“Really?” Shiro asked in the same genuine surprise as Lance from before. Then he corrected himself with a cough and turned into the responsible adult he always tried to be. “Good for him.”

Keith gave him a look that read as ‘really?’, but didn’t try to tease him about it because Shiro would blame him for changing the subject. “You shouldn’t let your emotions control yourself like that, even if the other person is clearly in the wrong. Be the bigger man, Keith.”

He set a hand on his shoulder, forcing Keith to make eye contact with him. “Remember what I taught you, patience yields-”

“Focus. I know.”

The door to the office opened and James Griffin walked out with clenched fists, narrowed eyes and an ice pack on his nose. He stopped in front of Keith, made a glance over to Iverson who was standing by the door frame then looked back at Keith, his steel blue eyes glaring daggers at him.

“I’m sorry for everything I said to you.” James gritted out, clearly forced to by Iverson. “It was wrong and immature. I won’t do it again.”

Keith inspected the boy in front of him, thinking how if he had two arms available they would be crossed over the other. Shiro nudged his side and Keith sighed while standing up which made him even more irritated because apparently James is taller than him.

“I’m sorry I punched you in the face.” A nudge at his leg. “I should’ve used my words instead. It won’t happen again.”

The two boys glared at each other.

“Pilot Shirogane.” Iverson called. “A word please.”

Shiro stood up and gave Keith a look that said ‘be nice’ before heading into the office with Iverson and the door closing behind them.

“I hope you know I’m not sorry, Kogane.” James sneered as if Keith didn’t already know that.

“And I hope you know I would punch you again if I have to, Griffin.”

The boy huffed like a bull which would’ve been a little more intimidating without him holding an ice pack to his face, then stormed off leaving an imaginary trail of dust in his stride.

It took a while before Shiro stepped out of the office, this time by himself as he shut the door behind him. He wore a frown that dragged his face giving an illusion of an older man way past twenty.

“I had to fight for you, Keith.” His voice was tired and strained. “Next time you might not be so lucky.”

The idea of punching Griffin in the face again no longer seemed to be a pleasant thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith not being able to remember James' name was me when we were first introduced to him lol


	6. Forgetfulness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go down

**October 23, 2099**

Lance woke up to the sound of banging. His head felt like it was ready to split open like someone was banging a screwdriver into his skull. Waking up was a slow process, his eyes stuck together so he had to rub at them to gain some sight. Either way, his vision was blurry and he knew he just woke up from a deep sleep because usually he remembered his dreams but all he could come up with was darkness.

The banging continued and his groan matched the one from beside him. Hunk was waking up with a giant yawn and slowly sat up looking dizzy. Lance was on his stomach but for some reason was facing the foot of the bed.

Confused and dazed, he looked down to where all of his textbooks and notes for physics class were all strewn underneath him. He must have dozed off while studying last night.

There was more banging and Lance realized someone was knocking on the door. With a deep sigh and great power he was able to crawl himself out of bed and hastily wipe at his drool to look somewhat presentable.

Lance smacked the door pad and stared sleepily at a smiling Keith, which was unusual during the morning. 

“Did you sleep in?” Keith asked.

“No.” Lance lied but talking didn’t help because of the clear misuse of his voice.

Keith rolled his eyes which were wide awake and ready for the day. “You have two minutes or I’m leaving without you.”

Lance grumbled and turned back into his room to get ready for school. Hunk had already managed to get on some pants but had to sit down because of how tired he was. Keith took a seat on Lance’s bed, putting his backpack in his lap as he waited.

“How are you so awake?” Lance grumbled, taking out his uniform from his closet.

“Today is a special day and I promised mum and pop that I’d call them before school.”

Lance paused and thought very hard about what Keith was referring to. Did he miss something while he and Hunk studied for their test today? “Special day?”

Keith stared unimpressed. “I’ll let that slide since you’re still waking up.”

“Hunk?” Lance called as he shrugged his shirt on. “Do you know what Keith is talking about?”

“Nah buddy. If I did I’m too tired to remember. Man, I’m gonna flunk this test.”

Lance got all of his clothes on and combed his hair. Then he pulled out an emergency cereal box from under his bed, stuffed his textbooks in his backpack and shoved his face with Frosties as the three of them walked to class.

“I feel better already.” Lance sighed as he shoved another handful of Frosties into his mouth.

“Good.” Keith said next to him. “So you remember what today is?”

Lance forced himself to remember because clearly it was an important day if Keith was making a big deal of it. He tried, he really did, but his head was full of equations and formulas and assignments that he still hasn’t finished yet. There was no space left in his brain to fit anything else.

“Is it important?” That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Keith’s face completely dropped and he looked away with a weighted frown.

“Never mind.” His voice stung with disappointment.

Lance and Hunk had to walk faster to catch up with him.

They made it to history class but Lance couldn’t focus because all he could think about was the pure disappointment and sudden drop in Keith’s mood. Lance thought about when he opened the door earlier that morning and through his blurry vision he could see Keith’s excited grin.

Today was important to Keith and Lance was too distracted to remember why.

They sat through two more periods and arrived at physics. The test was handed out and Lance wrote his name then looked over across from him where Hunk sat.

“What day is it?”

“October 23.”

“Okay, thanks.” It took him to write the full date out to remember.

Oh no. He made a huge mistake.

Lance frantically glanced over to Keith who was forced to sit in the front because their teacher had a thing about alphabetical order. His face was still set into the frown that Lance caused when he asked him if today was important.

Oh no.

Lance wouldn’t be surprised if he failed his test because all he thought about was how much he messed up.

After physics was lunch, which meant it was the perfect opportunity to make it up to Keith. He let Hunk go to the cafeteria and dragged Keith to the side in a quiet hallway.

“I am so sorry.” Lance first said and took Keith’s hands just to make sure he was listening. “Happy birthday Red.”

Keith snorted. “Kinda too late there Dandelion boy.” 

Lance squeezed his hands in earnest. “I know I screwed up big time. I was so distracted by school work that I completely forgot.”

“It’s okay.”

“No it’s not!” Lance insisted, because if he didn’t then maybe Keith would believe himself and that would not be okay. “You deserve better. I’m gonna make this a perfect birthday for you.”

Keith smiled warmly. “I’m supposed to go to Shiro and Adam’s place right after school.”

Lance cursed. “Dammit, okay how about we celebrate right now. Just you and me.”

He would’ve invited Hunk as well but Keith didn’t seem to be able to openly talk to him. They only hang out when Lance is around and their conversation always seems forced. It would’ve been ideal if they became close friends, but Keith has been reserved with everyone in school so far besides from Lance.

Keith laughed. “How are we gonna do that? We’ve got an hour.”

“We’ll get some pudding from the caf and find a way to the roof.”

It was easy stealing extra pudding and somehow it even easier getting up to the roof. It was large and surprisingly very clean and it was the closest they’ve got to the sky so far compared to their houses, Pluto’s and the cliff.

“Our final simulation test is coming up soon.” Lance said as they made their way to the edge. “I hope we’re both able to become fighter pilots.”

Keith rolled his eyes with a smile. “Of course we are. It’s what he dreamed about for years.”

The view was beautiful. Rolling hills of sand that went on forever and far away mountains that almost blended into the light blue sky. The sun was up high, beating down on them even worse here in the desert than back home. 

Lance set the puddings down on the ledge and swung himself next to them and let his feet dangle off the side of the building. It was a long way down. Keith sat beside him, their shoulders touching each other which was nothing new at this point.

“I can’t wait to finally fly.” Keith said as he stared at a lone cloud flying in an empty sky. He looked so alluring like this, free and open that made Lance want to get closer.

“Yeah.” Lance agreed and passed Keith a chocolate pudding cup and a plastic spoon. “Kinda wish it isn’t so lonely here though. The desert is pretty and all but I can’t see anything else.”

“Did you know my dad lived in the desert? Pretty close to here actually.”

Lance stared at him in surprise, his spoonful of banana cream pie hovering in front of his mouth. “Whoa, really? Why would he wanna do that?”

Keith chuckled. “I don’t know, I never got the chance to ask.” He pointed off into the distance where two of the largest mountains meet. “We lived way over there near the mountains. The shack should still be there but I bet they got rid of all of the house’s remains.”

“Wow.” Lance whispered in awe as he stared at the spot where Keith pointed as if he stared enough he could see Keith’s old home. “How could he not go insane being so isolated? Even introverts need human interaction.”

Keith shrugged, making Lance’s shoulder shrug with him. “I don’t know. He met my mom out there so it must’ve not been that bad.”

“Does this mean you’re gonna go live in the desert too? Live out your days in sand with lizards and junk?” Lance teased.

Keith shook his head. “Not a chance. I dunno what to do though. Maybe I can live on another planet or just go wherever you go.”

Lance laughed. “You’re just gonna follow me around?”

Keith looked indifferent and pointed at him with his spoon. “Why not? How else am I gonna make sure you don’t get yourself killed?”

Lance shoved him and Keith shoved him back but harder.

“Hey!” Lance yelled. “You’re gonna make me fall!”

“You pushed me first!”

They laughed and spent the rest of their time finishing their pudding cups and tossing the garbage behind them. Eventually, they realized that lunch was almost over and had to leave before aviation class started. They packed up their empty cups of pudding and made their way to the door.

“Happy birthday Keith.”

“Thanks.” Keith’s smile was much better than the frown he wore earlier. “But don’t forget about it again.”

Lance put his hands up in defense. “I won’t. I promise.”

The day didn’t start the way either of them expected, but it was starting to look up from there.

* * *

**February 7, 2100**

The Final Class Flight Test or FCFT for short, is a series of simulation tests that determine if you are a good enough pilot to be in fighter class or cargo class. It was an exam that sent everyone into nerves and constant studying, requiring too much coffee for teenagers to consume.

The simulation was no longer that pathetic one from freshman year when it looked like it belonged in an arcade. Instead, it’s been the one they’ve been flying since September, a large mechanical with four walls that vaguely resembles an aircraft.

Commander Iverson explained the rules one more time before they started. “There will be ten levels to beat and you must get to level eight in order to get into fighter class. Cargo class has to beat level six and if you don’t it’s a fail and you can’t try again.”

They were to go one at a time in alphabetical order which meant that Keith would have to wait for quite a while. Students would walk out either with a proud smile or a look of defeat and Keith had to force himself to not look so he didn’t psyche himself out.

Then Griffin stepped in front of him with a cocky smile and Keith knew he had just finished and came over to gloat. He was wearing the white space suit they always had to wear during these simulations “Beat that, Kogane. Got to level nine which secures me in fighter class. I hope you enjoy cargo.” His laugh was ugly and he walked away towards Ryan who was way too nice to be Griffin’s friend.

Lance scoffed from beside him. “It’s like he forgets that you’re only, oh I don’t know, top of the class.”

Keith rolls his eyes. “He’s just an attention seeker. How are you feeling?”

Lance groaned, his eye bags showing just how many long nights he’s spent studying and practicing flying. “I’m terrified. What if I flunk it, Keith? What if all that we’ve been working towards is ruined because I can’t pass a stupid test?”

Keith put a comforting hand on his shoulder because despite being given several reassuring lectures by Shiro, he still wasn’t good at them except for putting his hand on people’s shoulders. “You’re going to do great. You’re one of the best pilots I know.”

Lance gave him a small smile, his eyes still filled with worry. “Thank you, Keith. I won’t let you down.”

Keith snorted. “Even if you do fail you wouldn’t’ve failed me, idiot.”

“Keith Kogane!” Iverson called out, his voice cold whenever referring to him ever since Keith punched Griffin in the face. “You’re up next.”

Keith took a deep breath in preparation and Lance hugged his side, “Good luck.” It helps him calm down a little but doesn’t steal away all of his nerves from the simple touch.

The doors of the simulator closed shut with a defining boom that echoed through the tight space. It was dim with a few blue luminescent lights lining the corners of the walls. There were three seats, two of them for the engineer and technician, but he walked past them and into the main pilot seat.

He buckled himself in and looked around at the familiar controls that he knew even with his eyes shut. He knew this because he tried it out one time and he got pretty far too, but then Iverson found out and got mad so he didn’t try again.

The screen in front of him that resembled as the window lit up, casting everything in blue. There was a countdown from five, a beep sounded around him as time ticked down. Then all he saw was space.

The first five levels were easy with simple dodging asteroids and space junk. During level six the entire simulation shook in sudden jerks to get the pilot disoriented and the level of the plane abruptly tilted to the left.

Level seven was when he had to enter an asteroid belt, but unlike the simulation in freshman year, this time the asteroids were in motion, smashing into each other like dominoes and breaking off into small pieces for him to dodge. Some of them got close, just barely grazing the ship and he weaved his way through.

Then, all of a sudden the ship became unbalanced. This time, instead of crashing, Keith was able to lean the ship’s weight to the other side and just barely missed an asteroid by a thread. He dodged multiple more with an unbalanced force and flew into the safety of open space.

He made it to level eight.

Keith felt himself settle with relief but was only able to enjoy the moment until the room started to flash with red. He read the status of the ship on the dashboard which said there was an engine failure and the engineer was working on it but it won’t be fixed for another five minutes.

The next five minutes Keith spent his time dodging meteors with a broken engine which really wasn’t easy. He was very thankful when those five minutes were up.

Level nine was spent flying with only one working wing and landing the ship with a broken engine. Level ten was spent having to land the ship again but instead this time with the engine having no ability of being fixed and damage on both wings.

Keith was just happy he got to level ten and didn’t care if he failed or not because now he could gloat about it to Griffin. The level was extremely difficult and Keith truly thought he wouldn’t be able to safely land the ship. The whole ship was shaking and the force of crashing through the atmosphere sent him leaning heavily into his seat. His grip on the controls were so tight that he was certain that there was no longer any blood circulation.

Somehow, with a little luck on his side, Keith landed the ship.

When he left the simulator, his legs were shaking from being jostled so much. Iverson was surprised and looked stupid by how wide he gaped. Lance sent him such a bright smile it could defeat the sun.

Griffin stood glaring, face red and eyes filled with hate.

Keith gave him a wink.

Lance bounded over to him and gave him the tightest hug. “You were in there for so long! And judging by Iverson’s face you must’ve gotten pretty far.”

Keith couldn’t help but blush. “Uh, yeah. I got to level ten.”

Lance and all the other students gasped in wonder.

“Did you defeat it?”

Keith nodded and everyone gasped again then started to mumble about it like it was the latest celebrity gossip.

“Wow.” Lance stared at him starry-eyed. “You’re a really good pilot.”

“Pfft, sure Lance.” Then he started to push him away so they could hide next to the wall so he didn’t have to hear everyone’s whispering.

Lance asked him a dozen questions that Keith couldn’t even answer because Lance hasn’t done his test yet and that would be cheating. Eventually, Lance was called up and Keith gave him a hug before he disappeared into the simulator.

Keith waited with a baited breath and it seemed Lance was in there for a long time which should be a good sign. Keith was in fighter class which meant if Lance gets to level eight, they will be able to work together like they’ve always dreamed of. The final moment of when their fate is decided was soon to come.

Everyone’s heads turned when the doors of the simulator were open. Lance stepped out and Keith’s heart dropped when he saw the emotionless expression on his best friend’s face. He didn’t make any eye contact and his nose was red. Iverson shook his head.

Lance didn’t make it.

* * *

**May 2, 2100**

Things were different between him and Keith now. It wasn’t anything major since they still hung out like before, but now they had to separate during their flight lessons. They have finally gotten the chance to fly an actual plane and be in the actual sky and it was everything that Lance would have dreamed of.

There was a rush when flying, a constant danger that sends thrums of adrenaline as he pierces the wind. Flying a plane was much better than jumping off a stupid cliff and he made sure to tell his family just that when he face timed them.

They gave him sad smiles when he told them he didn’t make it into fighter class. Lance was even considering not telling them and lying instead, but that would’ve led to more complications in the future. His mama and papa tried to make him feel better by saying there was a chance he could prove himself in the future. Lance just smiled and agreed even though he knew that would never happen. 

Though he loved flying, his stomach sank whenever he saw Keith and the other fighter class cadets piloting sleek jets and then he looked over to the bulky mass that was the cargo ships.

Lance was happy for Keith, he truly deserved to be in fighter class especially now that he’s at the very top, beating James. He knew that Keith was going places and was probably going to be the head captain for many missions in the future. Lance just had to wait for him to accomplish those life altering missions to deliver stupid supplies.

He was just leaving the cargo bay when Keith slid next to him, most likely coming from the fighter jet hanger. Their flight suits were identical, same white fabric with black padding and boots and orange shoulders. The only difference was their pins at their chests. Lance’s was bronze shaped as a standard cargo ship and Keith’s was gold shaped like a spaceship.

“Hey Lance, wanna go play video games at Shiro’s place? They won’t be home for another three hours which means we can eat as much food as we want without getting yelled at.”

Lance smiled and thought about how fun it would be to play some video games right now. “Sorry, I really gotta finish my assignment. I’m a little behind schedule and I can’t afford handing it in late.”

Keith frowned. “Oh, okay. Well if you finish before curfew you know where to find me.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, sure. See you later.” Then he turned down a different hall in the very opposite direction of the apartment sector and headed to the library.

It was a full four hours of working on his stupid aviation assignment and Lance could barely read the words on the multiple pages of his textbook. The words were a jumbled mess which he was slowly getting used to as he got older, but he’s tired and extra distracted because he can’t get that damn song out of his head.

He threw his head back in defeat because at this point he’ll never be able to finish a two thousand word assignment when he’s only half finished and it is due in two days. How Keith was always able to quickly finish assignments he’ll never know.

Something banged the table in front of him and Lance sat straight up in his seat just in time to see James Griffin sit himself in the chair in front of Lance with a thick binder.

“What are you doing?”

James scoffed. “I came here because I am worried. You don’t have to be so rude.”

Lance glared at him as if to say ‘really?’. “Why are you worried?”

James leaned back in his chair. “Well I couldn’t help but notice that you’re in the library a lot while I never see Keith. That’s saying something because I come here everyday.”

“So?”

James rolled his eyes. “Sooo, that means he barely ever studies. I don’t think it’s very fair for someone who doesn’t study to be let into the fighter class let alone be at the top of it.”

“You’re just saying this because you’re jealous of him,” He said because it’s his duty to protect his best friend.

“And you’re not?” The question stung. “I’m just trying to tell the truth. Anyways, I gotta go study.” James stood up and picked up his binder then gave Lance a wicked smile. “See you later, cargo pilot.”

Then he disappeared into the maze of books and Lance felt like he’s just been punched in the face with a feeling of being cheated that he’s never felt before. Whether he liked it or not James’ words had some truth to it and Lance knew that even before he pointed it out.

It really was not fair that Lance had to bust his brains to not only get accepted into the Galaxy Garrison, but to stay here and strive for good grades. Everything was a breeze with Keith because it all came naturally to him and he doesn’t get distracted by stupid songs when writing assignments.

It made him wonder if Keith even wanted to be there.

Lance gathered his things and hoped Hunk would be in their room to help him study. He paused as he heard a collection of squeals from the table beside him. A group of girls who had their books cast aside and by the way they were giggling meant they had stopped studying. They were cute, nice hair and smooth faces that Lance would be happy to flirt with.

“He’s so cute,” One of them said, she was probably the most beautiful girl at that table with long lashes and plump lips. He recognized her from biology class. Sara, if he remembered correctly.

Lance wasn’t one to eavesdrop but he couldn't help the hope that she was talking about him.

“I talked to him today,” Another girl bragged, Hannah from math and chemistry, causing all the other girls to gasp.

“What?! No way!”

“Yeah, he asked me if he could borrow my pencil. He even gave me a little smile!”

The other girls squealed. 

Lance thought back to his day and tried to remember if he asked anyone for a pencil but fell short with a disappointed huff.

“I heard he’s at the top of his class,” Sara said.

“Makes sense since he’s Takashi Shirogane’s brother,” Hannah added.

Of course. It wasn’t a surprise that a group of pretty girls were talking about Keith when he’s got the whole smart and mysterious bad boy vibe going on. Of course he could get whatever he wanted without even trying to because he’s the star boy. He’s perfect while everyone else was not worth the effort.

Lance shrugged his backpack over his shoulder and strode past the table of girls hoping that maybe he’ll grab the attention of one of them. No such luck and Lance was left with embarrassment as he exited the library with a new found resentment building in his chest.


	7. End of It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst

**September 20, 2100**

Here is a question that Keith really needed an answer to: Why does there always have to be a huge misunderstanding at the climax of a book? Why couldn’t it be something more original like someone dying or a dragon attacks the city? So what the setting is in modern times with no bits of fantasy, he wanted dragons! No one wants to read two characters not communicating for something that could’ve been so small and easily avoided.

“Just tell her you love her already!” Keith very passionately yelled at the book.

“Dude, calm down.” His roommate said from his bed as he scrolled through his phone.   
“It’s just a book.”

“But they’re being idiots and it’s annoying me!”

“Well you’re annoying me so keep quiet.”

Keith huffed but stayed quiet and continued reading his novel that was totally not a romance novel don’t tell Lance. Oh great, now she’s moving to Alaska and he’ll never see her again because he’s too chicken to tell her his feelings.

“Oblivious idiot.” Keith muttered angrily under his breath.

“Look dude.” His roommate got up from his bed and typed some stuff on his phone. “I gotta go hang out with my girlfriend, you’re not gonna set fire to that book in here, are you?”

Keith tilted his head in confusion. “You have a girlfriend?”

He stared at Keith blankly. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Nothing, it’s just I know nothing about you and we’ve been roommates for two years. I still don’t know your name. Lance and I have just been referring to you as Keith’s Roommate with capitals.”

The other boy rolled his eyes as he walked to the door. “Do you even care enough to know me?”

“Uh, not really but that’s mostly because I’m an awkward anti-socialist. I could at least know your name.” 

“Nah.” Then he opened the door.

Lance was on the other side with his fist raised mid-knock and a surprised expression before he smiled. “Hey Keith’s Roommate, how’s it hanging?”

Keith’s Roommate grumbled and walked away without a word. Lance didn’t seem deterred by this, now used to the other boy’s personality and walked into the room. “What’s his problem?”

Keith shrugged. “I dunno, but apparently he has a girlfriend.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Wow, was not expecting that.” He fell next to Keith and the bed squeaked under the sudden weight. “Whatcha reading?”

“Uh, a mystery novel.” Keith lied and quickly shut the book before Lance could read any of it.

“Mhmm, cool.” Lance shut his eyes as he slumped on the headboard.

He looked tired, which wasn’t anything new ever since they arrived at the Galaxy Garrison. Lance has been working very hard and Keith admired him for being so diligent. Keith worried for him though ever since Lance was put into the cargo class. He hasn’t been the same with a smile that was never fully genuine when talking about flying. 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked.

Lance frowned but didn’t open his eyes. “I’m fine, why’d you ask?”

Keith looked down at Lance’s hands where their friendship bracelet was wrapped around his wrist. It was tattered and worn out at the strings from being worn every day. Keith’s bracelet didn’t look much better, the red dye has lightened making it look a little dull.

“You’re always tired and barely give yourself a break.”

Lance finally opened his eyes but they were dark and annoyed. “At least I study.”

Keith sat up straight to look at his friend better with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lance sighed and Keith could feel the pile of bricks that came with it. “Never mind. I’m gonna go see Hunk. Apparently the chefs let him cook something and he wants me to try it. Wanna come?”

It was a subject change that Keith wasn’t sure he wanted to let slide. He could go with Lance to see Hunk to pull more answers out of him but spending time with Hunk who Lance has gotten so close to over the few years was not settling well in his stomach.

“Uh, no, I wanna finish my book tonight.”

Lance’s eyes turned angry at this and he abruptly stood up to stare down at Keith. “Why are you always trying to avoid hanging around Hunk! He’s one of the nicest people on the planet and yet you don’t want to talk to him!”

Keith frowned hard and swung his legs over the bed’s edge. “I’m not avoiding him, It’s just weird because we have nothing in common.”

“But can’t you at least try to be around? Then maybe you can find something that you two do find in common. Is it so bad that I want my best friend to also be friends with my close friend?”

This was when Keith got angry because after so long of knowing him, Lance still couldn’t understand how hard it was for Keith to talk to other people. Keith stood up, making them stand nose to nose. 

“Well I’m sorry I can’t be like you and openly talk to people like it’s nothing. I’m sorry that I find it hard to come up with something to say and can’t relate to others. I’m sorry that I can’t be friends with your new bestie.”

“Hunk is not my new bestie.” Lance’s eyes held blue fire. “I just don’t understand why you can’t try!”

“I did try!”

Lance’s laugh was sarcastic. “Everything is so easy to you isn’t it? All accept for the one thing I ask of you.”

Keith’s anger deflated. “What are you talking about?” His voice was quiet. “What do you mean that everything is so easy for me? You know that it isn’t.”

Lance let out an ugly scoff. “Never mind.”

“No, it seems like there’s more to this argument than you’re letting on.”

Lance pursed his lips then whipped around. “I’m leaving. Enjoy your book.”

Keith was left in an empty room desperately wondering where things went so wrong.

* * *

**December 11, 2100**

The first week it was easy to avoid Keith, but after that it was extremely difficult. He seemed to be everywhere, which shouldn’t be a surprise since they go to school together and live only a few doors down, but he could’ve sworn he’s bumped into him more often in the halls than before.

It was like the opposite of a wild goose chance because all Lance could think about the moment he stepped foot out of his dorm room was how not to be seen by Keith. Lance has found different routes to get around which could sometimes cause him to get lost, but they were better than having to see Keith’s face.

Hunk thought he’s overreacting and has reassured him on several occasions that it’s fine if Keith doesn’t want to become friends with him. Even so, it did not excuse Keith of being a douchebag who couldn’t do him one favour. 

What was unfortunate was the fact that they had practically every class together except for one. Luckily, however, every teacher had a thing about seating the students in alphabetical order, which meant he’s always far enough away from Keith for it to not be awkward.

Then their biology teacher gave them an assignment, which was totally okay for him since it was his favourite science class. The problem was that it was to be done in partners and the teacher was to pick them.

With Lance’s bad luck, Keith was assigned as his partner.

They were quiet at first when Keith sat at the desk in front of him to begin the project. No eye contact and the refusal of talking to each other wasn’t the best way to discuss what they should do for the project but neither of them wanted to lose the streak first.

Then the teacher called them out for not talking and Keith interrupted the silence because he’s always gotta be the one on top, doesn’t he?

“Do you wanna split the work in half?”

“Sure.” He said because that meant he didn’t have to spend any more time with Keith to work on it. “I’ll work on the hydrophilic section and you can work on hydrophobic.”

“Okay.”

Lance ripped the rubric in half so they’d have their respected questions on the subjects then opened his notebook to get to work. Keith did the same but took his time to get his notebook out and Lance could feel him constantly glancing up at him.

“You can just move back to your desk.” Lance told his paper. “We don’t need to be together for this.”

Keith paused. “I guess not.” He didn’t move for some time. “Lance? What did you mean about everything being easy for me?”

Lance glared down at his paper. “Can we not do this here?”

Keith backed off but he didn’t understand that Lance saying “here” meant for them to not talk about it at all, instead Keith thought it meant that it was okay to talk about it after class. Which it was not okay, by the way.

No matter how fast Lance walked away, Keith still followed right along through the hallways. Lance took a turn to go into the route that he’s found to avoid Keith in the first place and hoped that if he moved fast enough that he’d lose Keith on his trail.

“Can you not follow me around?” Lance grumbled without looking behind him.

“I just want an explanation. You’re way too mad at me for this to only be about Hunk.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“You’ve never been mad at me before.” Keith said with hurt in his voice. It made Lance internally cringe at the sound. “What did I do, Lance? How can I make this better?”

Lance abruptly turned around and Keith rammed into him and stumbled backwards by force. Keith stared at him with those dark sad eyes that Lance missed so much during his stubborn avoidance of him.

He wondered what would’ve happened if Lance didn’t screw up and let spite take over him. He wondered if he could ever tell Keith how he truly felt about him if Lance had not messed up any chance of Keith forgiving him. At this point, there was no turning back from the damage that has been made.

“That’s the problem. You can’t fix anything because this is just who you are. You’re great at school and is probably the best pilot of our generation and you can’t change that.”

Keith’s face scrunched up and he crossed his arms like a shield. “Is this what this is about? You’re jealous of me being good at school?”

Lance threw up his arms. “Keith, you barely ever study and yet you somehow are the top of everything. I worked so hard to become a fighter pilot and I couldn’t make it. I mean seriously, all you do is read books and play video games!”

Keith looked angry. “I do study and maybe not as much as you do but I work hard and it’s not my fault you didn’t get into fighter class. It really sucks that you didn’t make it Lance, but I thought we’d get past it since we would still be working together. Sure, not the way we planned but I didn’t expect this to get between our friendship!”

Lance took a step forward and pushed a finger into Keith’s chest. “Oh that’s real easy for you to say because you actually got into fighter class. Do you even want to be in it?!”

“You know I do.” Keith’s voice was low and dangerous, his eyes narrowed and fuming with burning flames. “You know how much we planned for this moment to be here like this. To fly together. I don’t understand why you have to avoid me.” 

“It’s not like you tried to talk to me either.”

“Actually, I did. At first I thought it would be best to give you some space, but you were ignoring me for much longer than I thought you would. When I tried to talk to you in the halls, you’d just run away and go into hiding!” Keith pushed forwards until their noses were just a thread away from touching. “Do not put your jealousy onto me, Lance. It’s not like you.”

Then Keith stormed past him with heavy footsteps and Lance was left alone in an empty hallway, desperately trying to suck back the tears. No matter how hard he tried, the tears broke through and Lance had to live with the fact that he had just officially lost his best friend.

* * *

**June 8, 2101**

The television was airing a game show that honestly wasn’t too bad for how corny it was, especially with that Ryan Secrest type host. How he knew of Ryan Secrest even decades after his passing he had no clue. He decided to blame it on his mum’s love of watching old television.

“You’re still watching T.V.?” Shiro asked because he was one of those types who believed in one hour of television a day and then you actually have to do something productive in your life. Pathetic was what that was.

“So what?” Keith asked as he shoved a large spoonful of mac and cheese which proved difficult to swallow since he was strewn over the couch on his back.

Shiro let out a disappointed sigh that was very common nowadays ever since Keith got friendship dumped by Lance and cooped himself up in Shiro’s apartment. “You can’t spend all of your free time over here and wallow on the couch. Pick up a hobby, or at least learn to cook so you can contribute to this household.”

“Nah, this is much better.” Keith said as the audience laughed at something that he didn’t catch.

Shiro sat down by his feet and frowned at the screen before moving that frown towards Keith. Oh no, he was gonna start a lecture. Abort! Abort!

“Keith, don’t you think it’s time to talk to Lance? It’s been seven months.”

“He’s the one who started this, shouldn’t he be the one to apologize first?” Keith poked at the orange pasta in the very large bowl. “Besides, he’s spending all of his time with his new best friend.”

Keith could feel the pity as Shiro looked at him. “Oh Keith-”

“Look, Shiro,” He interrupted. “I spent too long talking about this, can we just drop it?”  
Shiro paused and thought it over. “Yeah, whatever you’re comfortable with. I got something to tell you anyways. It’s very exciting.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at his brother who now looked like a yellow Labrador from how excited he was. “Is this news actually exciting or is it gonna be like last time when you told me you got an electric toothbrush?”

Shiro shook his head which made him look even more like a dog. “No, although that was very life changing. My teeth have never been cleaner.”

Keith sat up and Shiro took away his bowl to put it safely on the coffee table. They scooted closer to each other and Shiro gave him a beaming smile that made Keith realize that this was not just ordinary news.

“Okay, so they locked down the mission to Kerberos and want me to lead the mission!”

Something to know about was that Shiro dreamed of being a pilot for way longer than Keith wanted to be one. He was the whole reason Keith wanted to become one in the first place. Shiro had spent several years of ranting about going up into space and most importantly, leading a mission to a far off planet.

This meant that Keith was immediately ecstatic now that Shiro was finally given the chance to lead a very important mission compared to the small missions on the moon he’s done the past year.

“That’s amazing Shiro!” Keith exclaimed and launched himself over to give him a tight hug that was quickly reciprocated.

Shiro laughed. “I know, I know! My dream finally came true!”

Keith pulled back just enough to see Shiro’s face. “When are you leaving?”

“August twenty-fourth. It’s gonna be a long ride too, about nine months total up in space.”

Keith couldn’t help but deflate and Shiro gave him a sad smile. “I know, it’s a long time but it’s gonna be worth it. Imagine the data we will accumulate because of this mission! I’ll be back in no time and I’ll tell you everything about it!”

“That sounds nice. How does mum and pop think about you spending nine months in space?”

Shiro started to look nervous. “Uh, I actually haven’t told them yet, so I really hope they don’t freak too much.”

“How about Adam?”

“Dunno, the first person I told was you.”

Keith’s eyes widened and he could feel the brotherly love swell between them. He hugged Shiro again because that’s the only way he was able to tell Shiro just how much that meant to him. 

“You’re gonna be the best captain ever.” Keith said into his shoulder.

Shiro shook with laughter. “I sure hope so. Now common, let’s order Chinese food as celebration and if Adam asks why just tell him it’s because you got a perfect score on your test.”

Adam did in fact ask and they responded with Shiro’s lie. Later at night, Keith asked when he was going to tell him and Shiro said soon, which wasn’t too comforting.

Keith made his way to his dorm at eleven O’clock at night, which was two hours past curfew but he’s able to easily slip away when he tells the hall monitors that he was with The Takashi Shirogane.

He passed by Lance’s room and thought about what Shiro had said before. It would be so easy to knock on that door and ask if they could return to the way they were. The thing was that Lance had hurt Keith a lot. He didn’t trust Keith anymore and let his own jealousy get the better of him and Keith didn’t know if Lance was the same boy anymore.

Maybe there was a chance to go back to normal during the summer. Maybe if they were both out of school and around family, they could become best friends again.

Later that summer, Keith would find out that he was wrong. Keith and Lance didn’t talk all summer, not even with the encouragement from their families. It really was the end of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I' going to post the next one sooner than I usually post since this one is so small.  
> Next chapter: Shiro goes into space and more angst ensues


	8. Just Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pilot Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Next chapter posted soon!  
> Also me: *Posts late* Oops
> 
> More angst and some of my favourite writing from the story :)

**August 28, 2101**

The Kerberos mission was the first ever journey for humans to land on to do research. Millions of people gathered around their television screens or traveled to The Galaxy Garrison to see the launch in person. Only a few people were allowed to cross the fence to get closer to the launch pad which included news reporters, the president among other important government leaders and the close families to the mission crew.

Somehow, Lance was on the list to be in said fenced off area because Shiro wanted him there. So here he was, standing lost while people passed him by with clipboards, phones and other super important stuff. Everyone was rushing around to prepare for the launch and Lance was pressed up against a wall to not get in anyone's way.

The spaceship was sitting up on a high podium, looking powerful with it’s sleek white body and the classic Galaxy Garrison orange accents. It was the size of two semi-trucks and wide wings with massive engines. It was impressive and looked just like something that would be able to travel all the way to Pluto’s moon.

“Eh, Lance, you made it!” A voice called out.

Lance flinched and turned to see Shiro walking over to him with a happy smile and an elaborate space suit. Another man was beside him, frantically telling Shiro stuff that Lance didn’t really understand.

Shiro waved the man off. “I got it, Officer Kelly, can I have a moment with this cadet?” The man gave Lance a judgmental once over but walked away. “Sorry about him, he’s just stressed.”

The man was so tall, a tower that commanded respect. It was intimidating which was odd because Lance never felt like that about Shiro before. Maybe it was because of him and Keith’s fall out and it’s been nine months since he’s properly talked to him. Now he would have to wait another nine months to talk to him.

Lance couldn’t help how intimidated he felt because of how professional and heroic Shiro looked like right now. He could only hope Shiro didn’t try to talk to him about Keith. “Oh, hey Shiro. You excited?”

Shiro leaned back on the wall right next to him. “Yeah, I can’t wait to get out there. I’m a bit nervous though.”

“Why would you be nervous? You’re the best pilot in the world, it’s gonna go great.”

Shiro chuckled. “Thanks Lance. Hey can I ask you a favour?”

Oh no. “That depends, would I want to do it?”

The older man gave him an unimpressed look. “I just ask for you to talk to Keith, don’t give me that look. You guys were so close and it’s a shame that you two fell apart so quickly.” He let out a sigh. “Keith has really retreated into himself and I’m concerned for him.”

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise. It was all his fault and now Keith has been hurt. This was never his intention but he was the one to shove Keith away and he had to live with the consequences. 

“Look,” Shiro landed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know you’ve been hurting too. I don’t expect you to go back to becoming best friends, though that would be ideal. It would be healthy to make up and move forward. It’s the best thing to do.”

Lance let out a tired sigh because even if he didn’t like it, it was the truth. “Keith’s right, it sucks when you’re always right.”

Shiro laughed and shoved his shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Lance. I know you’ll go places but wouldn’t it be amazing to have Keith right there to support you?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll try to talk to him.” He turned towards Shiro, a new hero to space research. Someone who will go down in history. Lance gave the man a hug. “Good luck out there.”

Shiro felt warm and safe. Lance wished he was able to take advantage of Shiro’s kindness before having to send him off. “Thanks Lance. Go be great.”

Then Shiro was walking away and Lance found himself shedding tears which he quickly wiped away. He watched as Shiro made his way to Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane who both gave him a long tight hug and both of them were crying with large proud smiles on their faces. 

Adam gave him his own hug then when they pulled back, he held Shiro’s face in his hands. They gave each other sad smiles and shared a long chaste kiss, then said a few words.

Keith stepped out from behind his parents and he looked so tiny compared to Shiro’s towering figure. The brothers clasped hands and pulled each other into a bone crushing hug. Lance smiled sadly as they clung to each other and said some words that Lance wasn’t able to read. Shiro gave him one last noogie, messing Keith’s long hair but the boy didn’t care and just smiled one last time at his big brother.

Shiro walked over to his teammates, Sam and Matt Holt, who were still saying goodbye to their family. Matt Holt took off his glasses and handed them over to his little sister and when she put them on they took up her entire face. One round of hugs and then the team walked over to the podium.

It was all in slow motion. Three people that will make history walking to the podium where their massive spaceship sat, ready to take off. Cameras were flashing and people stood in awe as the trio walked past them.

They turned around to wave at the cameras and see Earth’s surface one more time.

The countdown ended and hundreds of people roared with cheers and applause as they smiled up at the spaceship that slowly got smaller and smaller as it flew up into space.

Lance wished he could say he fulfilled his promise to make up to Keith. It took months of growing courage and coming up with something to say to waltz in the common room with plans to tell Keith.

The thing was, when he stepped past the threshold it was like walking into a wall of thick fog. The crowd of people all stared up at the many screens that casted their blue light in the dim room. He spotted Keith in the crowd and the blue light reflected off his eyes that were spread wide and terrified.

Lance chanced a look at the screens and his heart immediately dropped because…

* * *

**December 6, 2101**

...Shiro was dead.

Keith wished he could tell you he found out from Garrison officials or even by a phone call. Instead, he found out about his brother’s death during the same time as everyone else in the world.

All he remembers from that day was a blurry mess of everything. It was supposed to be just a normal day of sitting alone with the knowledge that Shiro was out there in space doing something amazing. Then there were the shocked gasps and the entire room of teenagers went quiet. 

He would like to try to explain the feeling of seeing his brother’s face on the news with the text “Pilot error” and “Crash” in bold letters right above, but he couldn’t find the words. There was no word in the dictionary that could describe the feeling of losing the first person that ever believed in him.

Paralyzed was what he was. Staring up at the television with a blank mind as the whole room became transfixed with the news anchor explaining with words that might as well have been a jumbled mess for Keith.

Then, all of the sudden there were hands on his shoulders and a person shielding away the screens from his sight. He saw blue, like the screens but this time they were filled with the same fear that Keith was feeling.

He was being pushed, shoved away from the room but his legs were made of lead and sunk into the floor. Supported, the blue eyed person got him out of the room but the air was still so thick.

Breathing was a forgotten memory and he felt himself being forced to sit down on a bed. When did he get to his room? It didn’t really matter though because he’s still trying to figure out how to breathe.

Then a hand touched his shoulder which reminded him of all the times Shiro would lecture him. Another hand took his own and placed it on something that was beating.

“Keith, breathe. In and out Keith, you’re gonna be okay.” A voice said through the muffle.

Keith stared at his hand that’s pressed against someone’s chest that was rising and falling. He tried to imitate the movement, a rise and fall that takes a few tries to get right. Air finally came through his lungs and he immediately felt like the world was crumbling just a little less.

“Good, you’re doing great, Keith.” It was soft but urgent and Keith felt him relax a little more because of the familiar comfort of the voice. “You’re going to be okay. Just breathe.”

He woke up to him clinging to Lance with dried tears on his cheeks and snuck out of the room before the other boy could wake up.

Keith went home that day.

It was where he was right now, locked up in his room as he attempted to fall asleep. He’s only been there for three days but he didn’t think the house could feel any less empty no matter how many years pass.

Every movement was in slow motion, his feet dragging and his mind never catching up. He hopelessly stared up at the ceiling and desperately prayed for sleep to come so he could stop thinking.

There has been a pull at his chest in those few days, something that has been calling him. He felt it strongest when he was still in the desert but the feeling still told him to return. Keith wondered if it was something wrong with his mind. If it was his brain trying to convince itself that it could still find Shiro right where it left him.

It was hopeless to force himself to sleep and Keith cursed himself for forgetting to close his curtains. The streetlights taunted him and so he left the room out of defeat. Shiro’s bedroom door was closed and Keith couldn’t help himself but to enter the room.

The curtains were closed, casting the room into darkness, but when Keith was expecting it to be empty, instead there were his mum and pop laying underneath the covers of the bed. Their faces were permanently stuck in sorrow even with their eyes closed. 

Keith quietly closed the door behind him and slowly crept onto the bed. He squeezed himself between his parents and apparently neither of them were asleep and they wrapped their arms around him. He found himself also being squished by Shiro’s stuffed cat, Roger.

The three of them were way too big for the twin bed and with the slightest wrong move one of them would be sent falling to the floor. They didn’t mind though and just enjoyed the moment of being surrounded by Shiro’s scent and memory.

Falling asleep was still not easy, but Keith felt a little more content with his parents holding him close.

* * *

**January 5, 2102**

Lance found Keith on the Galaxy Garrison’s rooftop.

It was nightfall, the sun had long since gone to sleep and was replaced by a crescent moon. The stars showed their faces and looked sad as if they knew what had happened. The air was cold which always confused Lance since at daylight it was always burning hot.

Keith was at the edge, looking out into the desert landscape with his arms crossed on the ledge. He was wearing his normal clothes unlike Lance who was still wearing his uniform. His hair was tied back in a ponytail but his bangs still got in his face which he had to keep pushing aside because of the light breeze moving the strands into his eyes.

Lance pushed his hands into his pockets and walked up beside Keith. He left a space in between them, something that’s so unusual with them. They stayed silent for a while, just awkwardly staring out at the rolling hills as they tried to come up with something to say.

“How are you?” Lance decided to ask but continued to look away.

“Not good, you?”

“Same.”

They spent another few long moments not talking.

“Hunk helped me realize I have ADHD.”

“Oh, that actually makes a lot of sense.”

“I know right? How didn’t we figure it out already?”

“I don’t know.”

Then the conversation fell flat and Lance no longer knew what to say.

“Lance? Don’t you find it weird that-” Keith stopped and narrowed his eyes as he thought his words over. “Don’t you find it weird that Shiro, who is the best pilot in the world-” He stopped again and grinded his teeth. “A pilot error?”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Lance turned his body towards Keith who was gnawing at his lip and staring at his hands. “But we don’t know what happened. Anything could’ve happened up there.”

Keith continued to gnaw at his lip, “But it doesn’t make any sense.”

Lance shook his head, “I don’t know what to tell you Keith.” 

Keith looked disappointed at this and he finally turned his head to look at Lance. His eyes were hollow, an endless hole that’s been through a lot in the past month. “I’m dropping out.”

Lance sucked in a breath, “What?”

“I’m dropping out,” he started to explain. “I can’t stay here any more.”

Lance’s voice was desperate, “Why not? Keith, you love flying, why are you throwing this away? Shiro wouldn’t want this.”

“What do you know about what he wants?!” Keith yelled and looked like the beginnings of a maniac.

“You know that I’m right.”

Keith’s shoulders dropped. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. I rather have him disappointed in me than…”

Dead, was what he couldn’t say and Lance couldn’t blame him for he was the same way. The wound was far too fresh.

“Please tell me why you want to leave.” Keith turned his face away. “Keith, please.”

“You’re gonna think I’ve gone insane.”

Lance shook his head, “I’m not, I promise you, I just need to know your reasoning.”

Keith's frown grew deeper, “Yes you will. My parents thought I was insane and so did Iverson but that was kinda expected.”

Lance was taken aback, “Wait, you told Iverson but not me?”

Keith breathed out deeply, “I just...I don’t think Shiro is dead.”

Wait what? “How is that even possible?”

Keith groaned, probably tired of being asked a similar question. “I just have a feeling! They didn’t even specifically say he was dead so there still could be a chance.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “And how are you gonna find out if he’s alive, huh? In fact, it would be smarter to stay here so you could ask around and have an actual chance to save him if he is alive.”

“I already tried that! It’s too late anyways because I already dropped out.”

“What?!”

Keith waved his hand around in a circular motion. “Well I kinda just yelled it out at Iverson, but I don’t regret it!”

“Where are you even gonna go to find Shiro?”

Keith turned to the desert and Lance followed his gaze to see where two of the largest mountains meet. 

“Your shack?!” Lance exclaimed with disbelief. “What the hell are you gonna do there? There probably isn’t even any internet there.”

Keith huffed out an irritated breath. “Look, you wouldn’t understand but I just have this gut feeling to go out there. I’m a good pilot because of my instinct, so why not use it even outside of flying?”

Lance filled in the gap between them and glared at Keith, “Shiro is up in space! Gut instinct or not, this is a bad idea.”

Keith looked fed up with trying to explain, “I know how weird it sounds but I really feel like there is something out there. It’s like a, um, a string pulling me in that direction.”

Lance threw his hands up in the air. “So you’re following a magical spirit into the empty desert?!”

“Um, pretty much, but I don’t know about ‘magical’.”

Lance slumped against the ledge in defeat and combed a tired hand through his hair. “What do your parents think of this?”

Keith slowly copied his position. “I don’t know and hopefully they won’t find out before I leave.”

Lance frowned, “Wait, is this why you invited me to come up here tonight? You’re using me to tell your parents where you are so you don’t have to?!”

Keith’s eyes widened, “What? No, of course not. I just knew that I had to tell you.”

He relaxed but the thought of letting Keith leave his dream to follow something that will most likely fall through did not sit well. “How long are you going to be out there?

“I don’t know,” Keith sighed. “As long as it takes.”

“What if you end up spending the rest of your life in that desert?”

Keith sent him a weak smile. “I guess I need to trust you to not let me do that.”

Lance gave him his own small smile and rested his hand on Keith’s. Keith was still wearing Lance’s friendship bracelet, red paired with the blue that Lance was still wearing. Their friendship has been through a difficult rough patch and now that Keith was leaving there was very little chance they could fully mend it.

The good thing was that they now know that everything hasn’t all gone away and they still were able to support each other. Hopefully it would be soon when they could see each other again and they’ll hang out just like before when things seemed so much easier.

“If you somehow get a chance to be around Wi-Fi, can you contact me? Just to let me know that you’re okay? You know how unsafe it is out there with snakes and stuff.”

Keith put his free hand on top of Lance’s. “I promise I will if I can.”

They shared a smile and Lance made sure to scope out everything in Keith’s face so he could remember. Before he knew what he was doing, Lance leaned forward and pressed a kiss on Keith’s cheek.

Keith’s eyes were wide with shock and with a blink he was able to control his face and he let out an airy laugh that made Lance laugh along with him.

“Bye Lance.”

“Bye Keith.”

Then Keith was walking away and into the building. Lance turned back to the desert landscape and made himself remember what would happen if he were to follow where the two largest mountains meet.

The next day, Lance was promoted to fighter class and when he replaced his bronze pin with the gold, he never felt more undeserving and alone.  
.  
.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Arc Voltron  
> (which I still haven't finished bc I've been distracted by other works, school and procrastination)


	9. Aliens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Act 3: Voltron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, sorry that I forgot about you. School has been filling up my time and draining my creativity. Next update will probably take a long time as well.
> 
> This chapter is the intro to the voltron arc so we get to see them in space!!!

**January 23, 2103 [A year later]**

The desert held a comfort to Keith. A reminder of when he was a kid with his dad and how he’d climb onto the canopy of his house to read while he waited for his dad to come back from work. It was a nice house, two stories and a spacious patio with a tree that held a tire swing.

When Keith arrived at his barren home, he was sad to see any remains of the house ever existing was gone. No outline, no scrapes of wood or ash; nothing. Keith stood right in the middle of where it used to be and thought about how he should be in the kitchen if it hadn’t burned down.

Socialization wasn’t an option when alone in the desert, unless you count the few times Keith found himself talking to lizards and snakes whenever they snuck into the shack. The only times he talked to a person was when he had to drive thirty minutes away to a tiny town for groceries. The clerks would ask him where he was from and Keith would respond with Alabama, California, Canada, anything other than the truth. It led to some interesting conversations.

The grocery store had WiFi and Keith struggled to find a better excuse to not contact Lance other than the fact that he was scared. There were too many times when Keith would look down at his phone and couldn’t find the courage to press Lance’s name. 

He did contact his parents though. First it was only texts to say that he was okay and cut their conversation as short as possible. Then he couldn’t bear it anymore and called. His parents were disappointed and worried, but they didn’t try to get in the way of him and told him he should at least come home on holidays and birthdays. Keith agreed.

Now, he was standing in the middle of a cave that he found a few months ago. It was dark and humid and many bats took their homes on it’s ceiling. Markings of lions carved it’s mighty bodies over every inch of the walls.

Keith had filled so many notebooks with drawings and theories as to what the markings meant and who carved them. He filled the notebooks with what he felt in the cave; the string that has been pulling him towards the desert ever since Shiro disappeared.

The feeling was strong in the cave, so strong that when he first stepped in his breath got caught in his throat and he hastily left for some air. He then walked back in, cautious this time, and the shock wasn’t as strong. In fact, he felt a calming stroke like the cave was apologizing for scaring him off.

It was the only thing that he found all year and it was all he was able to think about. The marks were confused and there were repetitions of symbols that resembled a language. It had to mean something, or else he’d have been wasting away months of his efforts to find Shiro. The markings were the only things he could hold onto.

Keith couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a sick joke that some random drunk man created to prank historians.

He couldn’t bear it if that was the truth.

* * *

**February 13, 2103**

Pidge Gunderson was a weird little dude. First off, he showed up right in the beginning of second semester and no one questioned it as if it was normal for students to randomly show up at a prestigious school. Second, he was super closed off to the point that he refused to share any little information about himself even if they were harmless questions. Third, he kept sneaking off and acting super tense especially around a commanding officer. Lastly and most importantly, the glasses he wears are fake.

Despite him just getting to the Galaxy Garrison, he knew too much about the establishment than an average person. He knew some of the teacher’s and commanding officer’s names before they introduced themselves and he even knew where some rooms were without any guided assistance. Lance wouldn’t be surprised if Pidge was a spy.

One last thing about Pidge was that he really sucks at the simulator. Who unbuckles their safety harness while the spaceship is about to crash?! Not like Hunk was much better since he kept spilling the remains of his breakfast in every compartment. 

Iverson whipped out the worst thing he could’ve said to him: “I hope I don’t need to remind you that the only reason you’re here is that the best pilot in your class had discipline issues and flunked out. Don’t follow in his footsteps.” There was no bandaid that could heal a wound so fragile.

Him, Hunk and Pidge were eating at the cafeteria with a combination of dejected emotions. Hunk was shoving his face with a burrito, Pidge was slathering an unhealthy amount of peanut butter on bread and Lance was poking at rice to form tiny craters.

“Well that could’ve gone better.” Lance grumbled.

“I still feel queasy.” Hunk groaned around a mouthful of food.

“Then why are you eating?” Pidge asked before taking a bite of her peanut butter with a side of bread.

Hunk shrugged. “I eat when I’m anxious.”

Lance grabbed a fork and slammed the end on the table. “We can’t give up! We just gotta work harder and then we’ll be the greatest team at the Garrison.”

“No better than the Kerberos crew.” Pidge mumbled.

Lance let go of his fork, letting it fall with a pathetic _tink_ ; his voice was just as pathetic and strained. “Why can’t we? The pilot crashed and now they’re all dead.”

Pidge’s eyes hardened. “We don’t know that. They didn’t even specifically say they were dead so there still could be a chance.”

It was exactly what Keith said to him that night on the roof before he left. Anger swelled in his chest at the thought of Pidge also thinking the same. “How are you gonna know? It’s been over a year so if they did survive, they would’ve run out of rations.”

“Lance…” Hunk worriedly interrupted.

“What now?! Are you gonna go off to the desert to find them as if that could solve all of your problems?!”

“Why would I go to the desert to find them?”

Lance threw his arms up in the air. “That’s what I said! Look, Shiro is dead and you’d be an idiot to think otherwise.”

Pidge’s anger then simmered to worry as he watched Lance’s fuming face. “Why are you singling out Shiro?”

Lance stood up abruptly. “I used to be very close to him.” Pidge looked shocked by this. “But it doesn’t matter now. Just stay out of it Pidge, before you hurt yourself and other people.”

He turned and stalked out of the cafeteria. Lance blindly headed to his dorm room then openly cursed into the empty room at Keith for constantly following him around even when he’s so far away.

When Hunk entered the dorm room ten minutes later, Lance automatically knew that Hunk told Pidge about Keith. After calling him out on it, Hunk blabbered out lies with a strained voice and eyes drawn to the ceiling.

Lance let out a tired sigh and once he fully stood up from his bed, he gave Hunk a plastered on smile. “Lets go sneak out of here. I’m sick of being in this stupid building.”

It took a lot of encouragement and pulling, but Lance managed to get Hunk into the hallway by the time curfew finally arrived. They almost ran into multiple teachers and guards but they hid behind walls and entered storage closets to get out of sight.

They turned a corner and abruptly stopped when they saw another student about to enter his dorm room. The other boy paused as well and slowly turned around. Lance was relieved to see that it was just Keith’s Roommate who should now technically be called Pidge’s Roommate but that was too much work.

“That’s not your room.” Lance said.

“It’s my girlfriend’s.”

“She’s still with you?”

Keith’s Roommate shrugged. “Nah, it’s a new girl. I didn’t really like her anyways. Are you sneaking out?”

“Yeah, don’t tell anyone.”

“I wasn’t going to. Good luck with not being caught.” Then he waved his hand, typed in the passcode and walked inside his new girlfriend’s dorm.

“That was so scary.” Hunk trembled from behind him. “Are you sure he won’t say anything?”

“Positive. Now come on.”

After hiding in a trash can, they spotted Pidge also sneaking around the halls and Lance made the smart decision to follow him. They followed him up to the roof and Lance tried to push down the one memory he had with the place deep in the far corners of his mind.

They find Pidge with a computer and some other junk, bulky headphones taking up the majority of his head. When Lance scared him Pidge screamed like a girl. He quickly lost interest when Pidge began ranting about some dude named Voltron and showed them a poorly done doodle of him.

Then there was a flash of light and a blazing fireball broke through the atmosphere to come crashing straight towards the desert. The stars shone more bright than ever as if to say ‘your welcome’.

A spaceship crashed on Earth. Lance really did try to not get his hopes up but as they ran closer to the crash site he realized that he was losing the battle.

“I would recognize that mullet anywhere.” Which was correct because when he entered the tent, he saw no other than his former best friend, Keith Kogane.

Even a year later he was till wearing that stupid cropped jacket that somehow couldn’t make him ugly. His skin had gotten the slightest tan which was a big deal for someone so pale as him. Black hair had gotten more routy and longer but his purplish-grey eyes remained the same.

Lance looked at Shiro’s slumped form that Keith was clinging onto. The man looked weak even with his increased muscle size and he had a strange burst of white in his hair that should not be possible when in space. There was a scar on the bridge of his nose that led Lance to realize that Shiro had gone through more than anyone could possibly imagine.

“So you were right.” He mumbled to himself.

Keith stared at him with those large eyes that Lance missed so much. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?”

Lance slides to Shiro’s other side and is startled to see that the arm he had slung over his shoulder was made of metal. They made their way out of the tent after having to step over a man laying on the ground. “Wow, did you really punch all those guys into unconsciousness?”

“Can we not talk about that right now?” Keith huffed as they hoisted the heavy man onto Keith’s hoverbike.

As they raced away as cars chased them down, none of them could possibly guess that in a few hours they’d be flying into space in a giant blue lion.

* * *

**February 20, 2103**

The Castle of Lions was an extraordinary piece of architecture especially since it was made up of alien materials and constructed by aliens themselves. Hallways winded throughout to get easily lost in, leading you to rooms of all types that could hold so many wondrous alien things.

It was a shame that Keith couldn’t travel through those halls and find the secrets of alien life because he’s being forced to train. Even after a week of training for a war that he just found out about, there was no time to adventure his new home.

Princess Allura was yelling at them to “Work as a team” and to “Think like Voltron” while Coran was up in the booth sending down robotic gladiators to shoot them. Keith held his ground with the blue shield protecting him from the blasts.

Pidge and Lance were on either side of him while Hunk and Shiro protected his flank. They were shoulder to shoulder as they held up their shields, shot and swiped to protect each other. They’ve been going for six minutes which was very exciting since when they first started out they lasted not even a minute.

Then Keith was almost shot from his left, the beam nearly hitting his leg. “Lance! You’re gonna get me killed!”

“Just pay attention to not letting me get hit.” Lance said while he shot at a gladiator and it took five shots but the robot finally died.

“Hypocrite. This is supposed to be a team effort!” Keith angrily swung at a gladiator and successfully took its head off. 

“You’re the one who started yelling at me!” Lance made the mistake of turning his face to glare at Keith and he got shot in the chest.

Lance screeched as the floor gave way and he was sent underground. Before Keith could close the space, he got shot in the back and fell through the floor to land on his back in the dim room. Lance was already standing over him and within seconds the rest of the team were sent down with them, wearing matching sets of angry glares at the two boys.

Lance began to climb the ladder to the surface and the light was harsh as it streamed in the room once Lance opened the hatch. Keith stomped over to him after he climbed up behind him.

“What the hell Lance!”

Lance swiveled around and his eyes were narrow. “Why are you so mad? This isn’t the first time one of us got distracted during this stupid training lesson. What makes you dying so special!”

“This isn’t about me! It’s about you turning your head away from the robots shooting at us!”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Oh so you’re soooo much smarter than me and don't make any of the same mistakes.”

“That’s not what I’m saying! Why do you always twist my words around?!”

“Lance! Keith!” Shiro boomed and Keith flinched when he saw an angry glare that looked do foreign on his face. “I thought you two would’ve made up by now.”

Keith immediately backed down and slumped in shame. Getting yelled at by Shiro was something he never wanted and he suddenly felt very silly as everyone stared at him and Lance.

Shiro crossed his arms. “What happened to the two best friends I used to know?”

“You were best friends?” Pidge said in shock and it made Keith cringe. “How is that even possible?”

“It _is_ weird to know that you two used to be very close. I cannot imagine it.” Allura mused out loud as she and Coran approached from the booth.

Lance crossed his arms. “Well you don’t have to. It’s in the past.” He glared at Keith and he could feel the surge of anger resurface.

“And who’s fault is that?”

“Yours, obviously.” Lance replied with a casual wave of his hand.

Keith’s eyes widened and was about to strike when Shiro put his robotic arm on his shoulder to reel him back in. He turned to see Shiro giving him a look that said “back down”.

“We’ll take a break for now, go get something to eat. You two,” Shiro placed his hands on his hips. “Patience-”

“Yields focus,” Keith and Lance said in unison, startling the others. “We know.”

Lance was quick to turn on his heel and leave the training deck. Keith was startled to see that everyone else except for Shiro and Hunk was staring at him as if they were still figuring out how he could’ve ever been best friends with Lance. He hastily looked away and walked out of the room and away from their questioning gaze.

He just caught the sight of a green jacket turning the corner towards where the kitchen was. The thought of being in the same room as Lance after their fight didn’t sit well with him, so instead we walked the other direction.

It was about time he roamed the castle for those alien secrets.

* * *

**March 3, 2103**

Being on another planet that’s not Earth has always been a dream for Lance. What he was expecting was going to the Moon or Saturn, but instead he’s far from the Milky Way. Millions - maybe even more - of galaxies away was where the Peniks planet resigned in and Lance had to pretend like that wasn’t the scariest thing in the world.

To distract him, he focused on the little alien kids that looked like humanoid dogs with fur of a variety hues of blue. Being the blue paladin himself, the kids seemed very happy that they were matching. So for the past few hours as Allura, Coran and Shiro were making an alliance with the planet, Lance has been entertaining the children. 

He had taught them the game of tag and had not considered just how fast these little alien kids could run. It was like watching a great dane gallop in a park, the little Peniksians bolting and pouncing each other like their life depended on it.

Lance had found a hiding spot behind a boulder to catch his breath from being chased down by a total of twelve dog children. The thing is with children was that they always target the ones they like the most which happened to be Lance. It was cute and he felt honoured but he might die if he isn't given the chance to breathe.

He breathed hard as he stared out at the large market stretched across the grassy land for miles. Sandwiching the marketplace were suburban households that sat on top of eachother and wires covered with laundry connecting them. The town looked rustic and Lance could compare it to the scenery of Disney’s Aladdin.

Despite this, it was a planet filled with high tech that had Pidge salivating. Now he could see her (yes, her, it still pissed him off that he didn’t realize sooner) inspecting one of the many barriers used to block off strangers from the marketplace.

Hunk was with her but not paying much attention and stead eating something that Lance couldn’t describe from so far away. It seemed that it was delicious by how he was doing a little dance each time he took a bite.

Lance chanced a look around the boulder to see any tiny alien threats waiting to attack him. They were all there, but all seemed to have forgotten the game as they crowded around a nervous looking Keith.

He snorted a small laugh as he watched Keith look down at the dozen kids with panicked eyes as they tugged at his armor and asked him questions every second without giving him a chance to answer.

His arms were hanging in the air uselessly, clearly not knowing where to put them. Some of the children jumped to grab his arms and one of them was successful, sending an unsuspected Keith to the ground. The children all laughed and created a dog pile on top of the red paladin, making Lance lose sight of him.

“I hope he can breathe down there.”

Lance jumped at the voice with a yelp and turned to see Shiro standing beside him looking over at his brother’s possible demise. “Death by cute dog children” is a fitting saying to put on his tombstone.

He realized that he'd been smiling the whole time he watched Keith and the children’s interaction, so he quickly fixed it and hoped that Shiro didn’t notice. Lance looked back at the children and worry started to grow when Keith had yet to resurface.

“He’s been down there a long time.” Lance voiced his thoughts.

Shiro hummed. “He’ll be fine. If he doesn’t come back up in five minutes we’ll go save him.”

Lance nodded his head, his worry increasing not just for Keith but about Shiro’s looming presence. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t keep your promise.”

Shiro looked over to him, Lance could feel it but he didn’t dare look back at him.

“I don’t know why I couldn’t do it.” Lance continued. “I found some confidence at one point but right before I could was when the news of you disappearing happened.”

“You could’ve done it after.”

Lance shook his head. “Didn’t Keith tell you?”

“Tell me what?” His voice was filled with skepticism and worry.

“He dropped out.”

Shiro sucked in a breath and after a moment of silence Lance chanced a glance at Shiro who had his attention back to where Keith was buried. “But…”

“Yeah,” Lance nodded. “I know.”

Shiro let out a deep breath that let out all the fatigue and sadness in one sigh. He started to run his hand through his hand but flinched when metal connected instead of skin and let his arm drop at his side.

“How about now? We've been out here for a little while now and neither of you can run away this time.”

Lance pursed his lips. “It feels too late now.”

“It’s never too late.”

Lance sighed and slumped against the boulder. “I knew you were going to say that. But how do I even talk about it? What if he never wants to be friends again?”

Shiro gave him a pitying smile, his warm brown eyes a comfort as they looked down at him. “It’ll be difficult, but both of you have to work hard to regain what you had. It won’t be a fast transition, but I have faith that you’ll become best friends again.”

It would be a miracle if they became best friends again, maybe just friends or friendly acquaintances at worst, but there has been a large wall that has been built by the both of them. Breaking down walls is not easy and there will always be the reminder that the wall existed at one point which will get in the way of any progress. 

He looked over and was relieved to see Keith, who had escaped his prison made of children. Now he was smiling and laughing while he swung the kids around and threw them up in the air to catch them with dramatic flair.

His hair was tousled and despite being almost suffocated he was having the time of his life. It was probably the first time he’s seen Keith laugh in years. Keith looked beautiful like always, causing Lance’s heart to flutter in a way that’s becoming more common lately. He didn’t know what this feeling was but he assumed it was his guilt eating away at him. 

Even after so long of avoiding him, Lance never stopped looking up to him.

Lance jumped when Shiro clapped him in the back and flushed because he forgot Shiro was still there.

“Apologize, Lance. Not only for you and Keith, but for Voltron.” Then Shiro was walking away and Lance looked back at Keith.

Keith was sitting cross legged, one child in his lap, one hanging over his shoulders and the others sitting in front of him with pure focus. He was talking, something interesting enough for the kids to stare at him like he’s telling them all the secrets to the universe.

Lance quietly walked over to them to join and one kid who he sat next to climbed into his lap. Keith caught his eye and shortly paused before bringing his attention back to the children.

Lance smiled as he listened to the story of wizards, magic and evil sorcerers that belonged to the many books Keith had read on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still reading this, please comment :)

**Author's Note:**

> My favorite scene in this chapter: When Keith first meets Shiro. What's yours?  
> This chapter was written 3 years ago so it's a bit on the rough end. I edited it but there's only so much I can do without rewriting the whole thing.  
> Tell me what you think!


End file.
